


Watch Me Bleed

by deepest_dooting



Series: Breaking a Hollywood Beauty [3]
Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Affairs, Alternate Universe - 1950s, Alternate Universe - Children, Alternate Universe - Mob, Cuban revolution of 1959, Gang Violence, Gangsters, Gun Violence, Hurt/Comfort, Implied Sexual Content, Inspired by a Movie, Marriage, Multi, Rating May Change, Weddings, brief mention of communism ;), inspired by the godfather part 2, original child - Freeform, rating will eventually go up with chapters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-01
Updated: 2018-06-01
Packaged: 2019-01-27 18:38:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 50,547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12588128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deepest_dooting/pseuds/deepest_dooting
Summary: In a fuzzy memory, Terra witnessed men giving their absolute will and trust to his fiance. Aqua stood proudly, confidently, but... sadly. He could see the dreams dissolve from her eyes, and with each kiss to her hand, she fell farther into her new life."Patron Aqua," they said, kissing her hand. A round of six men total; Luxord, Dilan, Isa,her own brother Lea, Braig, and even young Ventus. The families combined right before Terra's eyes, his wedding not even on the calendar yet. Terra watched as the door slowly closed.





	1. Only A Moment of Happiness

It was only a few weeks away until the wedding. The Meister family packed their things a month after the kid’s Baptisms and the charity banquet, then moved across the entire country to a new cozy estate in the District of Columbia, or Washington D.C. Terra came along, helping to move in, assisting around the new home, and generally just trying to be liked by Aqua’s family. Isa moved in too, mostly sticking by Lea’s side and dealt with the kids when his partner could not. 

Aqua started negotiating with several land developers in larger cities like Philadelphia, Cincinnati, Chicago, and Atlanta, beginning preparations for new hotels there as well. With the new success of the location in New York, money was flowing like a waterfall. The woman worked exclusively with her brother Lea, and soon enough, Terra would be working with her too. Monopolies were a thing of the future, and they were inching closer and closer to that future everyday.

Acting was only now a passing career of Aqua’s. She had not been in a new film in months, and the last film she starred in was still in the process of post-production. So much had happened since then, but it was nice to only have one thing to worry about. Even if her acting career was on hold, the press still hounded her every so often. Her family’s business made the news a few times, from information of new locations arriving in the area, to controversy surrounding her leadership. 

People were not able to believe that she was capable of running a popular hotel business, taking after her father, but her work was uncomparable. Aqua single handedly repaired the family name, ended the dirty dealing of drugs and trafficking, and stopped their support to the Black Market. She learned to control and manage what happened to the company, and with Lea at her side, they were practically unstoppable. 

As her monetary presence increased, so did her presence in politics. Since she now lived in the capital of the United States, she began networks with the politicians who worked in and out of Washington. From getting to house foreign political leaders in her hotels around America, to making a few… promising negotiations with the more popular politicians by winning their hand in friendships. Aqua did not always play by the rules, however. She did occasionally sell some people out, but under a tight seal, and no one knew she was the one responsible. 

The presence of Communism and with the Cold War around the corner, there was no _better_ time to ruin people’s lives. These games came at a cost, but the cost was nothing that a positive and perfect public image could not win. Aqua held monthly benefits for charity and the less fortunate, which boosted her acclaim and grandeur on the East Coast. She was a woman to not be reckoned with. 

Despite all of these wonderful things, Aqua still had her family protected. She denied that the past would catch up to her, but each night as she shared a drink with her fiance before bed, she remembered the girl from the last banquet in California. That girl who’s name was Naminé, and gave her blessings from the very people who attempted to end her life. The past year came back to the woman in nightmares, and she refused to believe that she was in denial. This was a battle that she fought herself. It was a battle that she was positive that she would win. Her escape from the negative life her father built would soon be diminished into nothing but ash, and Aqua craved that day. 

The very moment when she would be able to fall asleep right away, not fearing for the safety of her family, would be the best day of her life. But now, as Aqua sat in a meeting for planning her wedding, her mind wandered with the thought of freedom for her family. The wedding planner discussed the different venues for their wedding party, listing off at least forty different places. Aqua tuned in about halfway through, glancing down at the book of pictures on her father’s desk. 

The sun had just passed overhead, making way for the afternoon, and the light brightly filtered through the almost floor length windows against Aqua’s back. A wall clock ticked. Steam rose into the air from a teapot, and the sunlight bounced off a teacup. She fidgeted with the engagement ring around her finger, glancing down at the book, following the fake styled nail of her wedding planner as she pointed at different pictures. 

“...since you are going to be married in the Washington National, I figured you would like to do something very traditional. I was imagining a wonderful ballroom, maybe at the Mall in downtown, or at a Smithsonian. Of course it would be extravagant, nothing dull or boring at all.” she said, words running from her mouth a mile a minute. 

Aqua blinked twice, glancing out the window at the field in the estate. “What about here?” she replied slowly, stepping over to the window. “We could get a tent or two, decorate the entire house, make the patio into a dancefloor.” 

The wedding planner picked up her notepad, nodding quickly. She wrote something down, bulleting the information as Aqua said it. “Yes! Yes! Very rustic!” she mentioned. 

“We can hire a few musicians, classical, maybe jazz. Then have tables in the grass for the guests. Terra and I will sit with our families, and have a wonderful time…” Aqua imagined, folding her hand over her heart. She returned to the teapot on her father’s desk, pouring herself and her wedding planner a cup of tea.

A knock rang from the closed door of the study, and Aqua kept her back to it. “Yes?” 

The door opened, it being Lux on the other side. He cracked the door, poking his head inside the room. “Ms. Aqua, Ventus and Kairi are on their way from the airport with Terra. They should be here soon.” 

Aqua smiled wide, nodding her head. “Mm.” she thought, setting down the teapot. “Could you make a reservation at that one restaurant downtown that Terra and I ate at when Xemnas came into town? I can’t remember what it’s called, but they had the best steak.” she asked, maintaining her smile. 

Lux nodded, cracking a smile himself. “You got it. Any’hing else?”

“No, thank you.” 

He lowered his head, closing the door as he stepped back into the hallway. Aqua turned back to the wedding planner, who stood making notes by the window. She leant against the curtains, scribbling down ideas in her notepad as she glanced up and imagined things outside. Aqua fell to the silence again, glancing at the clock, then to her wristwatch. 

“I believe our session is almost over. I have some visitors coming in, so I must get ready for their arrival, if you do not mind.” 

The woman turned from the window, nodding and smiling. “Yes! I have to arrange a few more things for next time, I understand!” she said, quickly returning to the desk’s side, gathering her things from the top. She slung her purse handles over her shoulder, juggling her books and papers in her hand. Aqua extended a hand to help, but the wedding planner stepped back, humbly refusing with a shake of the head. 

“No, ma’am. I’ll see myself out. Thank you very much for your time, and I’ll see you next week. I’ll have diagrams and ideas for the gathering then. After that is a wedding dress!” she said excitedly. 

Aqua smiled. “Of course. Until then.” she replied, sitting down. Her hands met the armrests of the chair, and she exhaled slowly. She watched as her wedding planner left the room, quietly closing the door behind herself. Her eyes fell to the floor. 

She sighed, gazing at the wonderful diamond ring on her finger. It was something more out of commemoration than necessity, since Aqua was the one to ask the question. She told Terra that she was in no need of an engagement ring, but he insisted, splurging a few hundred dollars on the jewelry. Aqua tore her eyes from it, reaching forward to take her teacup in hand. She drank the tea, setting the china back on the desktop after she finished. 

Aqua stood up, leaving the study. As she entered the hallway, she could hear Isa and Lea arguing about something down the hall in a closed room, and she turned to her room in the opposite direction. She stepped into her room, shutting the door behind herself. The wooden floors squeaked as she passed overtop, reaching the vanity. She sat down on the velvet-topped stool, preening and touching up for her visit with Terra’s family members. Dark circles still shadowed her eyes, and she looked like she fought in the war. 

Her eyes were aged quite a bit, not paralleling her overall youthful complexion. She stared deep into the windows of her soul, only glancing at her hands apply a light powder to the ugly circles beneath her eyes. She brushed her hair in a quick swipe, setting the detailed brush back on the vanity table. After she believed she was presentable, she left her room, and escaped to the den on the first floor. 

\-- 

The evening passed quickly, and soon enough, it was time for Aqua and Terra to get into bed. They sat together on the loveseat in their room, having their last drink of the night. Aqua leant against her fiance’s side, breathing softly into his shoulder. She closed her eyes, squeezing his hand as she held it. A crisp early-summer breeze blew in from the open window, making Aqua shiver. 

Terra rested his head against hers, taking a deep breath. He set his brandy on the side table, wrapping his free arm around Aqua in an embrace. He pressed a kiss to the top of her head. “You’re a wonderful woman, do you know that?” he whispered, smiling gently. 

Aqua snorted into his shoulder, shaking her head. “I’m glad someone thinks so. Thank you.” 

“I don’t think so, I know so. There’s a difference.” 

She laughed, but then her mood dropped as she thought about the banquet again. A moment of quiet snuck up on her as she thought of a response. She thought about if Namine was working with her cohorts right now, and to be honest with herself, she did not know how to feel about the girl. “Do you think Marluxia and Larxene still want to kill me?” she asked Terra, staring at the carpeted floor. 

Terra’s grip around Aqua loosened, and he did not answer her right away. “I…” he said, trying to think of a way around her question. “I don’t know, that’s such a serious question, Aqua. And to be completely honest, I hope not. Otherwise I’d have to go kill them if they killed you.” 

Aqua nodded. “I’d do the same if they hurt you.” 

The room fell back into silence again, and Aqua sighed. She sat up, letting go of Terra’s hand to finish her own drink that sat on the coffee table. As soon as the biting flame of the alcohol flew down her throat, she stood up. It was time to get into bed, and she started to pull back the layers of bedding. Terra left the couch, joining Aqua in situating the bed to sleep. Once the extra pillows were tossed on the floor, and the bedsheets were pulled back, they got into bed. 

Aqua wrapped the blankets around herself, rolling over to lay right beside Terra. She wrapped her arms around his waist, and settled against his chest. Her eyes closed, and she appreciated the feeling of Terra resting his arm around her shoulders.

“We are gonna be married in less than eight weeks, Terra.” she whispered, just now understanding the reality of her statement.

Terra hummed, but gave no reply. 

Aqua opened her eyes to look up at him, reaching up to leave a kiss on his neck. She settled back down closing her eyes. While she drifted off to sleep, she thought about the future. Her mind wandered around her marriage, which still seemed hard for her to believe, but she thought about the positives. 

She wondered what her enemies were doing. She wondered if they thought about her as often as she would them. Aqua sighed, trying to sleep. These were not the positives. She had to try harder. 

\--

A week later, Aqua found herself struggling with the idea of wearing a gown once, then setting it in storage for the end of time. She wore costumes in movies all the time with the same usage, but even then, the costumes she wore in movies were worn multiple times for the same role during production. This was not very different, but splurging hundreds of dollars on a handmade wedding gown that will make her be nothing less than a goddess for a single time, confused her. She wanted to be married, yes, but the very thought of being bound to someone until death scared her. 

Another week passed, and the whole banquet for after the wedding was set in stone. Caterers, musicians, party suppliers, and invitations were all sent out and ready. Aqua loved the attention she received, from others whom she passed during work, to some who she never knew. The attention also frightened her. To be in the spotlight during something as monumental and life-changing like a wedding doubled the pressure on her than just a movie. She felt the need to act perfectly, like she should never make a mistake and become the perfect wife and partner. But even Terra noticed, telling her that she did not need to be the most perfect being. He loved her for who she was. 

The last few weeks leading to the late-summer wedding flew past like lightning. Before Aqua could even fear any other aspect of the glorious day, it had snuck up on her like a mighty predator. It was an early morning for the wedding, and Aqua had been separated from Terra the night previous as part of his family’s tradition. She woke up by her bridesmaids rousing her from sleep, and was then followed by the long process of getting ready. 

The women who were chosen as her bridesmaids were assigned by Aqua’s mother, another sign of tradition. Aqua did not know the women, and had wished for a break of tradition. Not knowing the bridesmaids worried her greatly, since she did not know who to trust. Aqua’s mother told her that they were friends of hers, and they were only titled bridesmaids in the fact that they were there to help her get ready. They were not to stand with her during the ceremony. They had no place there. 

Aqua was pulled into a morning of doing things that her mother did on her own wedding day, from specifically bathing in lukewarm water with lavender scented soaps, to having her skin then rubbed with vanilla bean infused oils. The oils left her skin feeling heavy, and glittered when she passed light. Her mother told her that she would surpass the very light of God, and Aqua was not sure how to feel, as her mother was very religious. With a few hours before the wedding, Aqua was then made a breakfast of eggs and ham, and then told to rest for an hour. 

During her break of women gussying her up, Aqua had a scary realization of why she was so afraid of being married. It made her realize that she had more family to lose. Family became very important to her over the past year, and if she had to lose anyone else… she’d be beyond herself. She imagined hearing the news of one of Terra’s siblings dying, or even Terra himself. Aqua cried. She was terrified of what could happen, but after she let her woes out, she was better. Aqua promised herself, promised her heart, and even promised to God, that she would not let anything happen to them. 

It drew closer to the time of the wedding, and the women started their jobs again. Makeup and jewelry came on, lastly followed by the wedding gown. Aqua stood on a low stool, stepping into the gown as if she were a queen. She stared at herself in the mirror in only a slip and floor length petticoat, getting lost in the same eyes that frightened her in Belgium a year and a half ago. The maids of the bride proceeded to pull the gown up and onto Aqua’s slim figure, buttoning every last button that ran up the back, and smoothing out each crease or unusual fold that made the gown imperfect. The bride stepped down into shoes, and listened to the women and their onslaught of teary-eyed compliments and remarks of her appearance. 

The very last addition to Aqua’s outfit was a golden brooch on the breast of her gown, given by her mother, and the veil. Silk organza fabric ran down from a crown of fake flowers on her head, covering her face to the neck, but in the back it ran the whole way down to the train of her dress. Aqua’s mother held back tears of her own, looking at her daughter in such a light that Aqua never seen before. Aqua was revered by her own mother as a queen, and it did not feel right. She gave her mother a hug, holding on for more than just a few seconds. She pressed back tears of her own, while her mother whispered words of good luck and good wisdom to her, followed by almost a million _I Love You’s_ in quick Belgian whispers. 

Lea was going to be the one to walk her down the aisle, and he waited patiently on the first floor of the house for her. But the last thing Aqua’s mother said to her before leaving for the cathedral with the bridesmaids was: “Your father would have been so proud of you, Aqua. I know he wished to see you like this, and your dear brother Aeleus.” And then left with a turn. Aqua was left to descend the stairs of her new home to her brother, and all the while was expected to not break down in tears. The very mention of her father and her brother made her chest burn and ache, since she could do nothing to prevent their deaths. She would have loved it to see her father walk with her, even dance with her during her wedding and dance with Aeleus on her wedding, but now she could not. Their deaths were still such a fresh wound.

A few minutes went by, and Aqua forced herself to steel her nerves. The sadness and depression flew from her heart as she told herself that her late father and brother would not have wanted to see her this way. She opened the door of the guest room, and almost floated down to the first floor. Her mind drew a blank as she met her brother in the den, not yet decorated for the gathering after the wedding. Lea looked at his sister in awe, raising his eyebrows in surprise. 

“Aqua you’re amazing.” he said, clearing his throat. “Like, I wouldn’t be shocked if Terra cried when he looks at you. You’re beautiful.” 

Aqua shook her head, smiling softly. “You are too kind to me, just be yourself, okay? For me?” she replied, uneasiness rising in her stomach. 

Lea nodded, shifting in place. He sort of awkwardly walked around, staring at the corkboard that had pinned drawings and paintings by Roxas and Xion on it. His head turned halfway at Aqua, then to the wrist on his watch. 

“We should get in the carriage. It’ll take a little to get downtown.” 

Aqua raised an eyebrow. “Carriage? What?” 

She exchanged a look with her brother for a moment, then shook her head for a response of clarity. Lea sighed, shaking his head. 

“Mom didn’t tell you, did she?” he asked.

“Tell me what? I don’t understand!” 

Lea stepped over, taking his sister's hand. Aqua pulled up the excess of her gown, making sure she would not trip, and followed her brother as he lead her outside. Lord behold, he was not kidding about the carriage, as outside, in their driveway, was a white horse-drawn carriage. Flowers decorated the sides and wheels, and the white paint of the carriage almost sparkled in the early morning sunshine. The two horses that drove it were decorated with fancy leather leads and bridles. It was all too extravagant, and Aqua figured this was also part of her mother’s wedding ritual. She remembers a few photographs of her mother and her father in a carriage after they were married, hidden somewhere in a photo album in her mother's room. 

Lea stepped off the porch, gathering all of the extra fabric of Aqua’s gown. She walked down the steps first, and was helped into the carriage by the driver. Lea pushed all of the gown he was carrying into the carriage, and then stepped in himself, closing the door. He seemed almost out of breath from carrying the fabric, and it amused Aqua. The driver hopped up on his seat, calling for the horses to start off. 

Aqua nearly jumped when the carriage started off, grabbing bunches of her gown in surprise. Lea laughed, sitting up straight against the cushioned seat. He sat across from his sister, occasionally stealing a look at her as they started their procession for the cathedral. Strangers and neighbors gawked at the sight of a carriage being driven down their street, and Aqua tried to not make eye contact with any of them. She really would have preferred a car than this. This was too much. 

When they reached the halfway point of the drive, Aqua glanced back to see how many cars followed in procession, and about four or five cars of same make and model followed behind. She turned to the front of the carriage, noticing two more cars of the same make and model ahead. It was the protection. Aqua imagined what it would be like if someone was shot and killed on their wedding day. She wondered what would happen if that fate met her. She concluded that it would be tragic, and tried to stop thinking about it. 

“Did all of Terra’s family make it safely here?” Aqua asked, looking at her brother. 

Lea turned to her, nodding gently. “Yep. We are housing them at the hotel downtown, since we don’t have quite enough space for all of them at the house. Besides, long, tan, and handsome was able to see his family yesterday before the bachelor party.” he said, shrugging. 

“Bachelor party? Oh no…” Aqua trailed off, knowing exactly where this was going. 

“Yeah, I won’t go into any major details, but all I’ll say is that Lux will never ever host another one. I’ve been fighting a hangover for the past four hours.” he groaned. 

Aqua sighed, folding her hands over her lap. As she turned away from her brother, the city rose over the hillside. Excitement and anxiety started to balloon up in her chest, and she took a deep breath, looking down at the floor of the carriage. Cars that passed in the opposite lane honked their horns, rubbernecking as they moved by. Aqua started to get tired of this extra and unnecessary attention. 

It took them another thirty or so minutes to pass the traffic coming out of the city, and by the time they actually arrived at the Cathedral, Aqua wanted her wedding to be over. As soon as the carriage stopped and the driver hopped down from the front to open the door, Aqua was almost launched herself out of her seat. She was helped out of the vehicle, and as Lea met her side to walk up the steps of the church she stopped. 

“Could you please get a car for after the wedding? I really can’t ride in that thing again.” she whispered, hoping that that the driver did not hear. 

Lea nodded, glancing back at another man getting out from a car behind the carriage. A guard. “Here, you go into the church, I’ll be just a minute.” 

Aqua hesitantly nodded, grabbing the bunches of her dress to carry up the steps. She stared at the small portion of tarp on the steps to the doors, and her heart beat wildly out of her chest. Her legs were jelly, but she carried herself to the front porch, entering slowly. Inside the very front were men in black suits, nodding chalantly as Aqua came inside. They were not the parishioners, they were just more help. Aqua passed them into the narthex, spotting one of the bridesmaids who helped her earlier, and she hurried over to her. The woman’s eyes widened, and quickly handed the bouquet of roses to the bride. 

Her expression ranged from outstanding relief to worry and panic, and she started to fix Aqua’s outfit. She quickly and gently shaped the veil to fall softly in front of Aqua’s face, and the bridesmaid opened her mouth in an exasperated and quiet movement.

“We’ve been waiting for you! Where have you been?” she asked, smoothing out the creases in Aqua’s skirt, and moving her right before the doors to the entrance of the church. Aqua was about to answer, but the woman opened the doors of the church and gave Aqua a light push. 

Aqua’s eyes widened, and the wedding march started, the parishioners stood and everyone turned their heads to watch the procession begin. She watched Xion and Roxas walk up with Isa, Xion acting as the flower girl, and Roxas the ring bearer. They then took their seats in the front, and the bridesmaid poked Aqua’s back for her to start walking in. The bride took her first step, perhaps a moment or two after Isa sat down with the kids. 

As she looked up from the floor in her embarrassment, she met eyes with Terra, who stood eagerly with the priest at the head of the church. People who Aqua worked with in Hollywood sat at the back of the pews, and smiled with teary eyes as she passed by. Each pew ending beside the aisle had a floral arrangement facing the inside of the aisle, and a white running carpet ran down the center of the aisle, ending at the sanctuary. Aqua smiled at Terra, and Lea was right. His smile hid the fact that was about to cry. 

Her legs gave the second warning of feeling like gelatin, and she wobbled a little as she reached the steps of the sanctuary. Terra met her halfway, extending his hand for her to take, and Aqua gladly took it, squeezing his hand. They stepped up the rest of the way, standing before the priest. Aqua took a deep breath, calming her nerves. 

\--

Aqua’s initial anxiety and worry over her wedding had quickly passed as the ceremony progressed, and she even got teary-eyed at the vows and the way Terra said his “I do.” She could not help but smile hard when Roxas toddled over to hand Terra the rings, and it was probably one of the cutest things she had seen in awhile. Then the moment that everyone waited for was nearly time-stopping, Terra raised Aqua’s veil, met her eyes for a second, and then leant in for the kiss. It was like a weight was lifted from her chest once they shared their marriage kiss. She was finally at ease. 

The gathering after the wedding ceremony was in full swing, quite literally, as Aqua dined, thanked, and danced her troubles away. She apologized to Lea for abandoning him for the procession into the church, but he did not chew Aqua out. They posed for a family photo before the food was brought in, but it was empty at the absence of Aeleus and Eraqus. Merriment carried on well into the afternoon, and Aqua was even able to meet some new acquaintances. 

Riku sat beside Roxas and Xion at the table when it was time to eat, and had brought his friend from college to the party. Aqua met his friend, Sora Herz, who was a very charismatic and kind young man. He happened to be a year younger than Riku, working towards his master’s degree in law. The boy was even so important to Riku, that he posed in the family wedding photo with Aqua and Terra. 

Aqua was resting from dancing for quite a while, and sat at the table with Sora who watched others interact around him. She felt a little bad for not talking to him earlier, but after chatting briefly as an introduction before being cut off, she knew she wanted to have a full conversation with him. 

“Are you enjoying the party, Sora?” she asked, smiling wide. The music hummed on in the background, and Aqua glanced up to see Terra dancing with his sister Kairi. He looked like he was having a wonderful time, and it made Aqua happy. 

Sora returned her question with a brilliant smile of his own, and the kindest nod Aqua had probably ever seen. This kid was too kind. “I am, thank you for letting me come! I hope I’m not intruding or anything, Riku just thought it was a good time to introduce me...” he trailed off, laughing softly. Sora started to eat the orderve on his plate, taking a swig of wine as well.

“Oh I’m very glad you could come. You’re one of the first friends that Riku really has had home and bonded well with, besides Kairi of course. Is school treating you kindly?” 

The boy half nodded, half shrugged, and if it was meant to send a mixed signal, then it did. “Law school is rough. There’s a lot to memorize, study, proclaim, and along with all that, there's risks too. But Riku is brilliant. He helps me out all the time.” he replied, resting against the back of his chair. 

“When did you and Riku meet?” Aqua asked, reaching for some of the candy in the centerpiece of the table. She munched on the chocolates watching Sora expectantly. 

“My freshman year, we shared a few of the same classes. Some of the professors kept pairing us up for projects and presentations, so we started hanging out. We are moving into a dorm soon, and I’m really excited.” Sora said, meeting Aqua’s eyes. His excitement seemed to grow as he spoke. 

The news of Sora and Riku moving into an dorm together was surprising news to Aqua. She slowed her chewing, nodding softly as she thought of what to say. “O-oh.” she said, swallowing the chocolate. “Riku never mentioned anything like that to me, but I hope you two move in wonderfully.” Aqua thought about how busy she’s been, and how little she’s been able to actually speak to Riku. “Oh, nevermind school. I wanted to tell you something, Sora,” 

Sora perked up, raising an eyebrow. “Yeah? What’s that?” 

Aqua smiled, meeting the boy dead in the eyes. “If you ever need anything from me, just ask. My family will always be here for you.” she said simply. 

The brunet nodded slowly, a little shaken by how direct her statement was, but he shook it off, grinning. “Thank you, Aqua. I really appreciate it.” 

Sora then parted from their chat, leaving to find Riku with Lea’s kids. Aqua rested for a little bit longer, receiving various random congratulations from people who walked past her or who stopped for a chat with the bride. She kindly accepted everyone's sweet remarks, but then left to devour some more sweets. While at the dessert table, she took another piece of the wedding cake that she cut with Terra earlier. As she gobbled down the wonderfully fluffy and moist cake, her new brother-in-law, Xemnas, sashayed to her side from a group of young ladies he talked to. 

He grinned approaching her side. “Y’know, if you eat that much cake, you’ll get fat? It wouldn’t make a very nice image for a bride.” he said. 

Immediately, Aqua was annoyed, but she kept her cool. “That’s not a very kind thing to say to your new sister-in-law. Also, I don’t care. I’ll eat what I want.” she replied, giving Xemnas a sassy side-eye. 

Xemnas nodded, humming. “Ahh, at least being married hasn’t killed your spirit. You’re still the fiery girl from California.” he said, nabbing two cookies from the table to eat. Between bites, he glanced at Aqua. “Y’know, Terra hates sweets? We never knew why he wouldn’t eat them, but he did like the bitter taste of our mom’s almond cookies.” 

“I knew he didn’t like sweets.” Aqua smiled, looking out upon the people on the dancefloor. “I tried to share a cannoli once with him, but he absolutely refused. But I have made him a nutcake before, which he’s eaten, thankfully. Are you trying to tell me that you are the one who likes sweets?” she watched him, smiling pitifully. 

The silver-haired man grinned, finishing his cookies. “Maybe, maybe not. You’ll have to figure that out before I eat this entire cake.” 

Aqua laughed, making sure she did not choke on the bite she had in her mouth. She cocked her head to the side, staring at the ground as she finished the last few bites of her cake. “I’m assuming you didn’t just come over here to demolish the dessert table, did you?” she asked. 

Xemnas waited a moment to reply, narrowing his eyes the moment he glanced at Aqua. After another long moment, he nods. “You’re right, Aqua. I actually came over here to ask about the business.” 

The bride slowly turned her head up, finding his eyes. She frowned. “Not today, please? It’s still my wedding day, and I’d like to have at least one day where I’m not piled in work.” she said, folding her hands over her dress. 

The man shook his head, wiping a hand down his face. “See, I knew you were going to ask that, and I told him that, but the man was terribly persistent. He wouldn’t shut the hell up, and said that he needed to see you right away, no matter what.” he replied quieter. 

Aqua’s face heated up in frustration, and she faced Xemnas. “I don’t care, Xemnas!” she said maybe a little too loud, as a few people turned their heads to see the commotion. “It’s my business. This man can wait.” 

Xemnas cleared his throat, loosening his tie. He stood up straight, shaking off the glances from other people. “I understand.” he mumbled, confidently leaving the conversation.  
The azure woman watched as he walked away, and she crossed her arms in frustration. Who the hell could have been _that_ important to think that she’d ditch her own wedding gathering for a meeting? She was upset, and turned halfway from her guests to hide her emotion. Her mind ran with countless ideas of who it could have been, but got even angrier when only close friends and relatives came to mind. She sighed. Usually at parties that she held, she would spend at least an hour listening to people. There was always a wait to see her, and it was one thing she became notorious for. Not today. Today was for herself.

The afternoon carried on, and Aqua got over her period of frustration. She had the party continue on into the evening, watching the sunset, and sharing a meal with all of her guests. As soon as they left, Aqua was finally allowed to take off her wedding gown, which had smudges of dirt and dust on the ends. It was hung up and placed in her closet, and once she took a long bath and relaxed, she found herself looking at it. 

Terra and Aqua shared the same tradition of having a drink before bed, and they talked about the honeymoon, the future, and kids. Terra thought it was too soon to have a kid, but Aqua had the exact opposite thought. She decided they would talk about it later, figuring it only was the first night of them being married. They then got into bed, eager to travel the following day for their honeymoon. 

As Aqua fell asleep, she still pondered the idea of who needed to see her.


	2. A Proposition

_Seven Years Later_

Aqua folded her hands, settling down in the leather chair. Her hands rested upon the top of the desk, and the sun attempted to filter in from the closed curtains. She stared at her hands, then at the man across from her. He sat proudly, raising an eyebrow as he met Aqua’s eyes. 

The man’s name was Even Fierte, the very same man who requested a meeting with Aqua some few years ago, the man who Xemnas spoke of. He owned a massive empire of medicine, from the scientists in laboratories who researched new meds, to the very drug stores where they were sold. Millions of dollars were in his name, and even more money laid in stocks and shares. It was rumored that Even had part in chemical testing for World War II, some even saying he was developing nuclear weapons. Aqua did not care, nor did she know why his meeting was so important. 

“What is it that you want with my name, Mister Fierte?” she asked, inspecting him for an answer. 

The blonde man gave Lea, who stood opposite to him against the bookshelf, a nasty side-eye glance, then back to the woman in the chair. “I knew your father. We worked on some things together, cartels and such, but you have no play with the Black Market anymore.” he explained, shifting in his seat. 

Aqua nodded, shrugging. “My father did a number of things that I ended, and it was for the best. If you are here to try and drag me back into that game, then you can leave. It doesn’t interest me, or my family.” she said. 

“Oh no, that’s too bad.” Even mused, raising his chin. “But no, that is not why I’ve wanted to see you. I come here today offering a proposition, one that might prove nicely for your… business.” 

“What’s that?” 

“If you would consider travelling to Cuba with me to invest in a resort there.” 

Aqua raised an eyebrow. “Have you not heard of the increasing interest of communism there? Or are you secretly a communist?” she raised her voice, smiling when she noticed apprehension grow in Even’s expression.

The man shook his head. “No! I just have some connections down there, is all. I’ve heard that a friend of mine wishes to sell their property, and I want your expertise on hotels and entertainment to help me craft a beautiful resort.” he replied, quieter. 

Aqua glanced at Lea, then to Terra across the room. “Well, I don’t work alone, so I’ll need to think things over.” she said, looking down at her nails. “What percentage of sales will I receive?” 

“Forty.” 

She pouted. “Forty percent…” she echoed, reaching over to take a sip of her drink. The breeze of the fall day rustled trees outside, and the sun bled through the curtains. 

Aqua admired the framed photograph of her and Terra with their daughter Lorelei, who had recently just turned six. She adored her daughter, and was eager that she began her first year in school earlier in September. Lorelei had the brown hair of her father, but the eyes of her mother. She was spoiled as an only child, but she often played with Roxas and Xion who enjoyed her presence in the house. Aqua frowned. The silence in the room was deafening.

“How long would I be gone? I have to take my daughter into consideration, and I would like to not be gone long.” Aqua replied, glancing at Terra as he sat down in the chair beside Even. It was like they were ganging up on the man, and an expression of worry morphed through his face. 

Even thought for a moment, glancing at the ceiling as he pondered. “Well, I’m not sure… I would have to see how long my partner would want to spend there.” he trailed off. 

Aqua closed her eyes, sighing slowly. “Give me a phone call when you’ve thought it over, will you? I have other negotiations to worry about.” she said, standing from her seat. Her eyes opened again, and she spotted Lux at the door. “Lux, could you please give Mister Fierte our phone number, and see him out?” 

Lux nodded, shuffling to the guest’s side. “You heard the lady, mate.” he stuffed his hands in his pockets. 

“I suppose so. I’ll be in touch, Miss.” Even said, folding his hands over his waist. He followed Lux out of the room. 

Once the door closed, Aqua fell back into her chair, groaning. Lea walked over, hopping in the chair that used to be occupied by their guest. He grinned at Terra, then to his sister. His hands rested behind his head, and he sighed slowly. 

“Forty percent, can you believe it!” Lea said with glee. “I don’t know about you, but I think it’s a pretty damn good deal.” 

Terra shrugged. “Yeah, but it’s in another country, and of all places it’s Cuba. That guy didn’t seem all too sure of himself. He almost jumped out of his skin when I sat by him!” 

“I don’t like him at all. He seems like a crook and an idiot.” Lea scoffed. “Plus, you’re a built dude, Terra. If Aeleus wasn’t twice your size, I would’ve been just as scared. And you come from a family notorious for killing people, so that’s also a red flag.” 

“Thanks, Lea.” 

In her silence, Aqua thought of a good solution. She appreciated the pay share, and despite it not being 50/50, it still meant more money that she could spend. Even looked and came off as untrustworthy, and she was unable to focus on anything but that trait. It made her uneasy. 

“Mister Fierte doesn’t seem trustworthy. He radiated a feeling that I can’t seem to shake off.” Aqua said, resting back against her chair. She shook her head, turning to face Lea and Terra. “Did either of you get that same feeling?” 

“Uh, did you just hear me, Aqua? I don’t like him!” Lea said, throwing his hand up. “Besides, I don’t like the idea of you travelling to a foreign country with a guy like that.” 

Aqua nodded slowly. “Neither do I, but we’ll have to think of something to say to him. He did know Papa, so that’s something, and if Papa trusted him, then maybe I should.” her voice grew quiet. 

“Aqua, I don’t think you should live with a mindset like that.” Terra said, glancing at Lea. “Your father blindly trusted a lot of people, but usually the good people returned it. People like Larxene and Marluxia were also once trusted by your father, and now they want you dead. For all we know, they were probably the ones that killed Eraqus.” 

“He’s got a point,” Lea shrugged.

Terra frowned, sitting up. He folded his hands, studying the wood panels in the floor, and remained silent. The clock struck two, making Aqua stand from her place. She walked around the desk to the front, resting against the desktop. 

“I’ll think of something. Don’t worry.” she said, smiling at Lea and Terra. 

Before either men could reply, the door of the study opened, and in ran Roxas and Xion. They played some game, and following behind was Lorelei, and Xemnas. Aqua beamed a smile as her daughter ran in, kneeling down and opening her arms for a hug. 

The little girl fell into her mother’s arms, giggling. “Hiya momma! Didja see that Uncle Xem came into town! He is playing airplanes with Roxy and Xion and I!” she said excitedly into Aqua’s hair. 

“I thought we were playing war?” Xion said, turning to Roxas. Roxas shrugged in return, looking to Xemnas for an answer. 

Xemnas shook his head, standing up tall. He walked to the back of his brother’s chair, leaning against it. “We were most definitely _not_ playing war. It was Lorli’s choice this time, and she wanted to play airplanes.” he shrugged. 

Terra smiled at his daughter, kneeling down on the floor to pull her into a hug. Aqua was also reeled in, laughing gently as Terra accidentally bonked heads with her. Lorelei squealed in excitement, leaning against her dad. Terra kissed the top of her head, sitting back on the floor. “How was school, Lorli? What did you learn?” he asked.

The little girl shook her head, resting against Aqua’s chest. “It was so cool! This one boy in my class brought in his pet frog and he let it out on assident--” 

“Accident, honey.” Aqua corrected, watching as Lea, Xemnas, and Terra choked back a laugh. Roxas and Xion were involved in their own conversation, thankfully not hearing the accidental swear. 

“Yeah, but then we had to find it. Then we weren’t allowed to have recess since we missed so much of our alphabet today.” Lorelei finished, facing Lea. “How’s it goin’ Flamesman!” she said smiling. 

Lea laughed, sitting up in his chair. “Nothing great, kiddo. You’re lucky you found that frog, cause he might’ve been a prince.” he said, raising an eyebrow. “You know what you have to do to a frog when it might be a prince, right?” 

“Yeah! Kiss it!” Lorelei hopped up and down. 

Aqua shook her head, smoothing her daughter’s hair. “Nonono, no one will be kissing any amphibians. You could get sick, and we can’t have that, can we?” she turned Lorelei around, away from her uncle. “How about you, Roxas, and Xion go get Dilan to make a snack?” 

Lorelei’s excitement almost tripled, and she nodded quickly. “Yeah!! Food!!” she squealed in joy. 

Roxas and Xion perked their heads up, joining the conversation again. “What about food?” said Roxas. 

Lorelei turned to her cousins. “It’s snack time!” she ran past her father and out of the room. Her arms were extended past her sides, and she still played airplane. Xemnas laughed, watching her go by. 

Xion and Roxas started off too, but their venture was cut short by their dad. “Hey, don’t I get a ‘Hey dad how’s it going hug’ or something as cheerful as Lorli?” Lea said, turning to his kids. Xion turned around, hugging her dad, Roxas ignored him, leaving the room. 

Xemnas snorted, facing Lea. “I wonder where Roxas gets it from.” he said, extending a hand to help his brother off the floor. Terra gladly accepted, taking his brother’s hand and standing up. 

Lea scoffed, also leaving his seat. “I know, Isa’s really rubbed off on him. It’s annoying. One moment you think the kid will listen, the next he’ll only listen to his sister.” 

The redhead was met with silence from the others in the room. “What? Ten-year-olds suck! I remember being ten and it was the worst year of my life.” he said. 

Aqua chuckled at her brother’s comment, getting a hand from Terra to stand up. She stared at the floor, then turning to Xemnas. “You didn’t tell us you were coming into town! How’d you come in?” she asked, stepping over to pull him into a friendly hug. As she pulled away, she noticed something off about him. 

“I flew, stopping in from my trip to New York. Layovers, you know. Besides, I didn’t need to be there till tomorrow, so I thought I’d come in and see my favorite niece and sister-in-law.” Xemnas said patting Aqua’s head. He grinned. 

The woman pulled his hand off her head, holding it. “We met with Even Fierte today.” she said, letting go of his hand to walk over to the flowers on a side table. Her mind would not shake the feeling she got from Xemnas. “He was interesting… to say the least.” 

“What did he want after all these years?” 

“He wants her to leave with him to Cuba for a business venture. To have us help him invest in a resort there.” Terra answered, crossing his arms. He glanced at his wife, frowning. “I don’t like the idea of her going, especially with that Fierte guy. He didn’t seem right.” 

Xemnas snorted. “Well of course you don’t want her to go. You’re her husband and you have a kid.” he shrugged, looking at Lea. “What was the split? 50/50? More?” he asked.

“We get 40 percent. Not too shabby, in all honesty.” Lea replied. 

“Could get more. He’s the one dragging Aqua in, and he could at least be nice about it. Isn’t he some kind of multi-millionaire or some shit?” 

“I heard rumors that he worked with nuclear weapons.” 

“Holy shit!”

Aqua cleared her throat. “Don’t swear when the children are around, please.” she said, turning halfway. “I wouldn’t mind going, I just wouldn’t want to go alone.” 

The room fell in silence. Lea stood up, walking around in thought. Xemnas hummed a song and glanced outside. The clock ticked on, and it’s melancholy noise pulled Aqua from a daze. She shook her head. 

“Would any of you want to go with me?” she asked, folding her hands. 

Terra faced her, a hesitant look glazing his eyes. “What about Lorelei, Aqua? We can’t leave her…” he said, uncrossing his arms. 

Aqua noticed how upset he was, and she met his side. She nodded, smiling softly. “I know… I don’t want to leave her alone here, but who would go with me, if not you?” 

Xemnas raised his hand, looking between Aqua and Terra. “I can go with you, Aqua. I don’t have kids, and my cat can be looked after by Braig anyway.” he said, standing up. He glanced at Lea. “I figured you didn’t want to go because you’re second in command. And someone’s gotta stay behind and count the figures.” His hand rested on his waist. 

Lea laughed. “Sure, I guess you’re right.” 

Terra exchanged a sour expression with his brother, setting a hand on Aqua’s shoulder, almost protectively. He frowned. “I _would_ go, but I want to take care of Lorelei. I know Aqua understands, but I don’t think you do. It’s not going to be a vacation, Xem. It’s work. Business.” he said, biting his cheek. 

Xem nodded, a sly smile curling to his lips. “Don’t worry, Terra! I’m not jeopardizing your marriage. It’s alright! Besides, Aqua’s not my type, and if she was…” he paused, walking to the doorway. He stood in the middle of the threshold, a hand on the doorframe. “I would have married her before you even had the chance to say hello.” 

He left, and Lea bursted into laughter. “See, this is exactly why I thought you’d fall in love with that guy.” he told Aqua, noting her annoyed and frustrated expression. Lea started for the door too, stepping backwards. “I do have to admit it, Terra’s the better looking of the two. I’m glad you married such a handsome devil.” 

Aqua covered her face with her hands, sighing. She slowly lowered her hands after a moment, and she shifted in place. “I hope I won’t be gone long. I haven’t been apart from Lorelei or you before, and I’m worried.” she said, frowning. 

“Don’t worry, I’ll still be here. I know it’ll be hard to leave her, but we should be just fine. This is something you’re doing for us, Aqua. Later she might just thank you… I know I will.” Terra replied, softly. He brushed Aqua’s hair back from her eyes, caressing her cheek as well. “I’ll miss you a whole lot, I’m sure about that.” 

Aqua reached up to his hand, and held it with her own. Her frown morphed into a smile, appreciating his comment. “I’ll miss you too.” 

\--

Later that same night, Terra and Aqua were getting ready for bed. They had read Lorelei her bedtime story, chatted with her for a few minutes, then left her to sleep. Aqua changed into her nightgown, and slowly began the job of pulling the pillows back from the bed. She was ready to sleep. It had been a long day. 

“It was very kind of your brother to come into town. I thought it was nice to see him again.” Aqua said, making small conversation. 

Terra snorted, stretching quickly. “Yeah, I was surprised, to say the least. If anyone were to come in, I was sure it would’ve been Ven or Kairi. Xem never seemed to like the house here.” he replied. 

“He’s never told me that.” 

The brunet shrugged. “He’s a man of luxurious tastes. I’m almost certain he would rather be in his apartment in Los Angeles drinking and spending money. Not much of a rural type of guy either, but he does enjoy hunting around here. Oh, and the politics too.” 

Aqua nodded, taking a sip of the drink on her bedside table. “I see. I’ll have to have him stay more often. Maybe I can spark something of interest in him.” she said, tossing a throw pillow to the ground. 

“Good luck, honey.” 

Terra was taking off his tie and dress shirt, laying them over the back of a chair. He noticed the curtains over their window were pulled back, which was odd, since they were typically closed for privacy. The overhead light in the bedroom was too bright, bouncing reflections from inside onto the glass, so he could not see outside. He narrowed his eyes, turning to Aqua. 

“Did you open the curtains?” he asked, stepping over to his side of the bed. He pulled back the blankets on the bed, meeting Aqua’s eyes. 

She shook her head, glancing at the open windows. “No. Did you?” she replied, returning her gaze to Terra’s. 

“No.” 

Just as Aqua looked back at the windows, a loud and frightening barrage of bullets flew in. It had been years since a gun fired around her, and in a moment of panic and fear, a scream rolled out of her throat. Glass shattered, fabric was torn, and wooden furniture was penetrated, sending small splinters into the air. Some went as far as hitting the wall, puffs of dust flying. Almost simultaneously, Terra and Aqua fell to the floor like ragdolls the very second it started, and while Terra crawled around the bed, away from the window, Aqua covered her head whilst having a panic attack. Her motherly instincts kicked in, and she needed to go to Lorelei. She needed to protect her child.

When the bullets kept coming in, more debris blasted through the air. Glass from picture frames shattered, falling beside Aqua on the floor. Bullets that ricocheted off of things began to pile on the floor. Antiques were broken, and paintings on the wall opposite of the window were torn to shreds. Terra reached the other side of the bed, shielding his wife’s body with his own, should any artillery or debris reach her, he would be hurt instead. He hugged closely against her, and could feel her hyperventilating, whereas their current position was not helping her at all. His mind, reeling in shock, ran at lightspeed, and he tried to imagine who could have caused this. He closed his eyes, and tensed his muscles. The fire came through for another few seconds, ending after maybe a total time of twenty-five seconds. Those twenty-five seconds felt like hours to Terra and Aqua huddled to the ground.

The room fell eerily silent, and then sudden shouts and gunshots rang in from outside, away from the house. The door was thrown open, and in ran Lea and Xemnas, dressed in their sleeping clothes. Terra sat up, pulling Aqua up by the waist, and held her close for a moment. In the seconds of time where he was protecting his wife from the attack, he completely forgot about Lorelei upstairs. His eyes widened, and all he could manage to say was his daughter’s name. His ears were painfully ringing, and he tried to make out the awfully muffled words of his brother across the room, but he shook his head in confusion. The attacker must have been right at the window, causing the influx of ringing ears and dizziness. 

Aqua’s breathing had not evened, her ears rang, but in between her frantic state of mind, she cried out Lorelei’s name. Her eyes, blurred by tears of fear, found the form of her brother. She repeated Lorelei’s name, pointing up at the ceiling. Someone else stood outside the window, yelling something inside for the people currently in the room. Tears bubbled over her cheeks, and she tried to tell what Lea said to her. 

“I need to see Lorelei! I need to make sure she’s okay!” she shouted, unsure if she spoke normally, considering the fact that her ears still buzzed. Her breathing remained erratic, and she started feeling light headed. She thought about the last time that something like this had happened, which was the day her father died. More tears flooded down her face. 

Lea nodded, saying something in return to his sister, then something to his also lesser deaf brother-in-law behind her. He left, running out of the room. Two others came into the room after he left, but it was hard to make out who it was through the tears. Aqua’s head pounded, her eyes hurt, she tried to even her breath, but as soon as she made her attempt, her fingertips tingled and spots started to cover her vision. The room started to move, and she could not even hear the muffled sound of others talking anymore. 

She closed her eyes, falling back against Terra’s chest.

\--

Aqua woke up, shooting up. She laid on the bed in the guest bedroom, safely on the second floor of her home. The blanket fell from her lap, and she threw her legs over the side, stepping onto the ground. She hurried to the door, pulling it open and marched outside to the hallway. Her first instinct was to go to Lorelei’s room, to check on her, and she cracked open her door. The light from the hallway ran into her daughter’s room, shining right onto the back of the girl sleeping in bed. 

She sighed in relief, quietly closing the door. Just from seeing her daughter safe in bed overjoyed her, and tears picked at the back of her eyes. Aqua proceeded to look around the house for Terra, instead finding the bedroom door for Roxas and Xion cracked open, with Xion crying on the other side. She hurried inside at the sound of her niece’s tears, finding her sitting on her bed. Isa and Lea sat beside her, comforting her. Roxas was sitting cross legged on his top bunk, his arms crossed over his chest. The boy had puffy red eyes, like he was crying.

Lea noticed Aqua first, surprised to see her. “Aqua, what are you doing up? You fainted…” he said, rubbing circles into Xion’s back. 

“I did?” Aqua whispered, looking at the ground. She shook her head, looking between Xion, Lea, and Isa. “Are you all okay? Are you hurt?” 

“No, we’re fine. Just scared. I can’t believe this happened…” Lea replied. He turned back to his daughter, wiping her tears away. “Xi-xi, it’s gonna be okay baby girl, the bad man’s gone. You’re safe.” he said softly. 

Aqua frowned sadly, worried. “Lorelei is asleep, did Terra calm her down?” 

Isa handed Xion her teddy bear, glancing at Aqua. “Yes. Lorelei was crying for almost twenty minutes, but Terra calmed her down. He should be downstairs with your mother and his brother.” he said, crossing his legs. 

“I see. Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked, folding her hands. 

Lea and Isa looked at each other, shaking their heads, nearly in unison. 

“We appreciate your concern though. Thank you.” Isa said.

Aqua nodded, stepping back towards the doorway. As her hand reached the door, she sighed. Before she left, a very upset Roxas audibly growled from his top bunk. 

“You’ve already done enough, Aqua!” he said, almost in a shout. 

Aqua turned halfway, her eyes widening. She bit her lip to hold back a response, but her chest ached and refused to let anything out but a whimper. She looked at her nephew, nodding with a broken heart. Tears built in her eyes, and she weakly cleared her throat. Nothing made her feel worse than her own nephew accusing her. She left the room, closing the door with a swift movement. From outside the bedroom, in the hallway, she could hear Lea and Isa scold Roxas for what he had said. 

The woman walked downstairs, hugging the walls on her way down. As she entered the family room, the first person she in eyesight was her mother, sitting comfortably on her favorite chair. Terra spoke with Lux and Dilan, noticing Aqua as she walked in. Xemnas leant against the wall with a drink in hand. He too looked at Aqua. 

The very first person Aqua went to was her mother, falling to her knees and resting her head on the older woman’s lap. Guilt stabbed at Aqua’s heart, and she turned her head to meet her mother’s eyes. Her mother held her shoulders, stroking her hair gently. 

“Mama… did papa ever feel disconnected from the family before? Did he ever lose track of what was important, of what he needed to protect?” Aqua mumbled, blinking slowly. 

The older woman closed her eyes, frowning at the sound of pain in her daughter’s voice. “Yes, he worried that he lost what was important as you and your brothers grew up, but I would tell him time and time again,” she paused, opening her eyes to see Aqua. “I would tell him that he could never lose his family. Not in death, nor in fear. Your family is still your family, even if they aren’t there by your side.” 

The bitterness of Roxas’ accusation burned the back of Aqua’s throat again, and she nodded softly. “I understand, mama. Thank you.” her voice cracked. 

“My dear, as much as I’d love to stay awake, my age is getting the best of me. I’ll have to retreat to bed, now that I know you are alright.” Aqua’s mother replied, lifting her daughter’s chin up. “Do you remember what I told to you on your wedding day?” she asked, smiling softly. 

“Papa would be proud of me…” 

Aqua’s mother nodded. “Yes, your father would’ve been so, so, _so_ proud of you.” 

Aqua stood up, assisting her mother out of her chair. She gave her mother a kiss on the cheek, wishing her a good night. As soon as her mother left, she faced Terra, exchanging a worried look with him. She stepped over, wrapping her arms around him tightly. Her head rested against his chest, and she listened to his settling heartbeat. She loved the way his heart sounded.

“Are you feeling better, my love?” he asked, pulling her into a tighter hug. Terra kissed the top of her head, and then peppered her cheek with kisses. 

Aqua smiled, humming. “I’m sorry I fainted, I was just so worried about Lorelei, and you and--” 

“Aqua, don’t apologize for something silly like that. You had every right to worry about our daughter. I thought you had died by the way you fell back into me,” he said softly, finding her eyes. “I wanted to stay by your side until you woke up, but Lorelei was crying so hard… she was scared out of her wits from the guns.” Terra squeezed his wife’s shoulders, then rested his arms back at his sides. 

Aqua looked at the ground, her hands balling up at her side. “Who did it? Are they alive?” she asked, her voice falling low. Her tone changed so drastically, that even she was surprised. 

Terra crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow at her sudden change of tone. She hadn’t acted like this in years. “A nobody, took his own life. The gun is untraceable, but a heavy hand mentioned it was similar to an uzi from California. I suspect that it was Marluxia and Larxene, but it doesn’t make sense as to why they would launch something like this after seven quiet years.” he explained, glancing at his brother. “Do you have any idea, Xem?” 

Xemnas raised his eyebrows, stepping away from the wall, whiskey still in hand. “Oh, me? Uh, maybe it was that Even guy you met with yesterday. He definitely seemed sketchy enough.” he replied. 

“But he’s not that stupid.” Aqua said, bitterly. “He seemed desperate for me to join his brigade to Cuba, and I don’t think he would do something as startling as this.” 

Xemnas shrugged, and sucked down his drink. “We won’t know until we ask him.” 

“If he did it, he wouldn’t speak, that’s something you should know. Mister Fierte is stubborn, cocky, and afraid of others with power.” Aqua said, biting her lip. “The very moment I playfully accused him of being a communist, he nearly broke down in tears.” 

The silver-haired man across the room laughed, setting his glass on the side table. He stretched, yawning. “Anyway, we should probably head to bed. It’s almost one in the morning.” Xemnas said, walking to the staircase. “I’ll see you guys two later.” He then retreated upstairs. 

Terra wrapped an arm around Aqua’s waist, glancing at her. “Do you wanna turn in?” he asked, quietly. 

Aqua looked up at him, nodding. “We can sleep on the sofa-bed in the den.” she replied, turning her head down. 

She led him out of the family room, down the hallway, and past the kitchen. Once they reached the den, beside the laundry room, she moved her hand around the wall beside the door for the lightswitch. As the light was turned on, Terra walked in, rearranging the furniture to make room for the pull-out bed. Aqua helped him, removing the cushions on the couch, and finding clean linens, pillows, blankets, and whatnot in the closet. They hastily made the bed, and then got under the blankets. 

The overhead light was turned out, and Aqua laid against Terra’s side on the bed. She wrapped an arm around his waist, and took a deep breath. “I’m so afraid to fall asleep now, Terra.” she whispered. 

Light from the clear October moon blasted through the shutters, casting onto the floor. Terra stroked Aqua’s hair, pressing a kiss to her forehead. “It’s okay, I’ll be here for you. Just try to get some sleep, nothing can hurt you in your dreams.” he murmured, setting a hand on her shoulder. 

Aqua closed her eyes, unable to think of a better response to him. “I love you.” she said, resting her head on his chest. She tried to clear her mind, and tried to fall asleep. Her ear settled right on his breast, and she was able to hear his heartbeat, reminding her of a metronome. 

“I love you too, Aqua.” he replied, softly, leaning down one last time to press another kiss to her head. 

\--

The next morning, boards covered the broken windows of the master bedroom. Furniture that was damaged during the attack was removed, and debris was cleared from the floor. Aqua stood at the opposite side of the room, her hands folded over her heart in a prayer-like notion. But she did not pray. She hoped that whomever decided to target her again would die. No one was going to come between her and her family. Lorelei needs a mother to grow up with, a father to grow with, and a supportive family system. Not one member of her family was going to be lost. Not again. 

She slowly moved to the other side of the room, the heels of her shoes clicked and the sound bounced around in the empty room. Even the carpets had been removed from the floors. The sight of her bedroom that she shared with Terra for nearly seven years, completely ruined, depressed her. Paintings and priceless family heirlooms were destroyed, but thankfully the photos of the family were not touched. At least something important survived. 

Aqua retreated to her study, and once she got there, she immediately poured herself a drink from the liquor cabinet. She took a shot, then actually took the glass she filled with the room-temperature bourbon. Her eyes fell to the floor, and she silently wished that she was not so dependant upon the sick intoxication of alcohol. In her thought, she took a seat in the armchair before her desk. Muffled noises of the kids playing outside nearly shot into Aqua’s subconscious like a microphone, and guilt piled in her chest. 

The door behind her opened, then closed with a firm click. Someone shuffled to the side of her seat, and she decided to look up. The visitor was her brother Lea, and she left her expression unchanged. 

“I’m not surprised to find you here, Aqua.” he said, leaning against the desk. His arms folded over his chest in thought. “I figured you needed someone to talk to.” 

Aqua took a sip of her drink, grimacing as she swallowed. “You’re right, Lea. I can’t trust anyone more than you. You’re my brother for christ sakes.” she replied, sighing. Her eyes flicked to his form. 

“We have learned that the model is an uzi similar to one that big families from California use. Other than that, it’s difficult to determine who it could have been.” Lea looked at the floor, uncrossing his arms to rest them on the desk. He bit his cheek, like he was holding something back. 

“What’s wrong, you look like you want to say something.” Aqua said, repressing the tone to seem mockingly. “If it’s something that might help us, then say it!” 

“Alright, but,” he paused. “But you have to promise not to get upset at me, okay?” Lea faced his sister, worried. 

Aqua nodded. “I’m not that short-tempered, c’mon. I promise I won’t be offended.” She took another sip of her drink. 

Lea took a deep breath, glancing back at the floor before focusing completely on Aqua. “Aqua, what if Xemnas was the one who sent this after us? Last night… he acted too calm and unshaken. Xemnas only reacted in fear when you were in hysterics.” he explained, bracing himself for her reply. 

The woman did not respond right away. She was not surprised Lea suggested something as interesting as this. The possibility of her brother-in-law even sending an assassination attempt on her _sounded_ preposterous, but at the same time, it did not sound so far-fetched when she thought about the day’s previous events. Xemnas’ almost perfect time for a visit being on par with her meeting with Even Fierte interested her. She did not even think about it like that. It also was a coincidence that he volunteered to join her on the trip to Cuba.

“That’s… quite the accusation, Lea.” Aqua said slowly, imagining the way Xemnas could’ve gone about his order. “It sounds completely plausible, and I understand your thoughts for saying that… but…” she trailed off, frowning. 

Lea nodded, motioning for her to continue. “But… what, Aqua?” he asked. 

She swallowed hard, flicking her gaze to the floor. “But he’s our family, Lea. I couldn’t hurt him by accusing him of that.” she replied. Aqua could only think of the promise she made to herself on the day of her wedding. She wasn’t going to lose anyone else. 

“Dear god, Aqua. He’s just your brother-in-law, he’s not an actual blood relative! What if he was the one who ordered this? He could be plotting something else!” Lea argued, shaking his head. 

Aqua narrowed her eyes. “Lea! How dare you! That man is a part of my family as he is yours. I married his brother, and that makes him my family!” she said firmly, squeezing her glass. “He’s just as much of a family member to me as you are.” 

Lea swallowed, turning away from her. “I understand.” he murmured, crossing his arms. 

The noise of the children running inside the house for lunch rumbled under the study. Dilan’s voice echoed through the floorboards as he wrangeled the kids together. Aqua sighed, finishing her drink. She stood up, returning the glass to the liquor cabinet. Her back faced Lea, and after another moment, she turned around. 

“Lea… I’m sorry, I just don’t want to lose anymore family. It’s been such a wonderful few years of having all of us together, with no sadness or loss. I’m terrified to lose anyone else.” Aqua said, stepping over to Lea’s side. She set a hand on his shoulder, and he glanced at her. “Can I trust you to keep looking for this person? And… should it ever come to the fact that one of our family members has done it, then I’ll decide what is to happen. Alright?” 

Lea turned halfway. “Alright.” he replied, pulling her into a tight hug. It's been such a long time since Aqua shared such a hug with her brother, and she understood that he was only worried about her. She knew he did not want to lose anyone else either. 

Later that day, she phoned her new colleague, Even Fierte, offering her hand in business to him. He told her that they would leave by the end of November, explaining that they _“might be down there for maybe a month.”_ Aqua reluctantly accepted under the condition that she would receive a higher share of the profit, and that a partner could travel with her. Fierte replied with a hesitant and frustrated response, but agreed to the new plans. They ended the phone call by exchanging early travel information, and bid farewell. 

That end of November date came faster than anyone expected. 

Aqua started to pack her bags on the day before, trying to gather all of the things she might need for _”...maybe a month.”_ Xemnas, her designated business member and travel partner, left to Los Angeles to pack his things, returning the night before they would leave for Cuba. The woman worried if Terra would be capable of handling Lorelei all by himself for a few months, but then remembered that her mother would be here to help him, as would Lea and Isa. But she then realized that he was perfectly capable, understanding that she would not want anyone else to do it. Aqua also remembered the accusation that Roxas made to her on the same night. She feared for the boy, but also was shameful. It was her duty never to expose Roxas and Xion to a life in the Mob, yet there was really never anything she could prevent. She hoped that she could protect Lorelei from the dangers that could come. The future frightened her to death. 

Lorelei asked a million questions as to why her mother was leaving, and all Aqua could reply with was “It’s my job, sweetie.” It made Aqua’s depression of leaving her only child for months, even more upsetting and terrifying. Her motherly instinct wanted her to stay in Washington D.C. to see her everyday, but the feeling in the pit of her stomach told her it was better to leave for a little. At least she would not be gone forever. 

The night before Aqua left, she found herself laying beside her husband on the bed. They did not speak, but the silence was comfortable. Aqua was not entirely sure what to say to him, as they had been leading up to this night for past few days. Terra’s head settled on her shoulder, and he wrapped an arm around her waist. The sound of his breathing pulled Aqua out of her daze. 

The den was rearranged into their makeshift bedroom, small and a little uncomfortable, but helpful for the long days. A few nights into their stay there, Lorelei joined them, telling her parents that she could not sleep. She would sandwich between Terra and Aqua, falling asleep the moment her head hit the pillow. Her visits in the middle of the night comforted Aqua, but again, the businesswoman fought with herself for leaving.

Aqua wanted to apologize to her family, she wanted to calm the raging waters between them, but she did not know how. She already knew that those already associated to the murders of men in California, nearly eight years ago, would not accept an apology. They already met their fate the moment they met Eraqus Meister. Even after all her father had done, she still could not hate him. After all, he tried to do what was best, but it ended badly for him. Aqua forced herself into hoping for a better ending, hoping to die a natural death, somewhere where she would be safe, and surrounded by her loved ones. 

The woman sighed deeply, closing her eyes. She sank against the side of her husband, and started to drift asleep.


	3. A Cuban Holiday

The very next morning, Aqua’s family bid her and Xemnas farewell for their trip, and she promised to call when she had the chance. They were driven to the airport, finding Even waiting in the private gate for their plane. Even had explained earlier on the phone that he hated flying in public airplanes, even in the luxury of first class. So to fix his problem, he put forward some of his millions of dollars into a private plane. Aqua thought it was ridiculous and a waste of money, while Xemnas absolutely adored the idea. The businesswoman already could feel the trip taking its toll on her, and they hadn’t even left yet. 

“Is it safe?” asked Aqua, handing off her five or six pieces of luggage to a flight attendant. 

Even scoffed, leading Aqua and Xemnas to the landing tarmac so they could leave. “There’s no safer plane in the entire United States. I had it specially made. Should I ever be in any disaster, all of the materials I’d need would be at my fingertips.” he boasted, glancing back at her. 

Aqua rolled her eyes, tightening the hand on her shoulder bag. “Sounds great.” She bit her cheek in frustration. Xemnas looked down at her, noticing her impatience with Even. He nudged her as they stepped out the door of the airport, and onto the black, paved, ground of the tarmac.

“You okay?” he whispered, finding her eyes. The procession of the aircraft crew and Even was trailed slowly by Aqua and Xemnas. “I’m sure we’ll be fine, it’s just a few hours, and then we’ll be landing in Cuba.” 

Aqua shook her head, glancing up at her brother-in-law. “I’m not afraid of flying, I just can’t shake this feeling in the pit of my stomach. Like I’m making a bad decision.” Her eyes flicked back ahead of her, spotting the jet. 

“You might just be anxious for leaving Lorelei behind. It’s alright. Terra has a good head on his shoulders and--” Xemnas’ following sentence was interrupted by the engine of another private jet engine roaring to life. He turned to the obnoxiously loud noise some countless yards away. He opened his mouth to keep talking, but there was no way Aqua could tell what he was trying to say. 

As they reached Even’s side at the jet, he turned on his heel, boasting a cocky smile to his business partners. His smile was met with Aqua’s heavy expression of uncertainty, and Xemnas’ annoyance. Even’s smile faded to a grimace, but he tried to save face. He waited for the other jet to pass, so he’d be able to speak without having to scream. 

When the jet had taken off, the blond man sighed. “Now, here we are kind business partners. This is my own private Lockheed JetStar I, one of the newest private business jets on the market. My aerodynamics crew in New Mexico came in partner with Lockheed to build this specifically for me.” he explained, setting a confident hand on his hip. 

Xemnas nodded, looking at the watch on his wrist. “That’s great and all, but aren’t we expected in Cuba with your friend by 2pm? If we are, then we need to be seated.” 

Even was met with surprise, and Aqua assumed that he had completely forgotten about their plans. Considering Mister Fierte had been doing his own thing for countless years, and from what Aqua read from newspapers and magazines, it never shocked people for him to divert from original plan and improvise. But with his improvisation came absolutely brilliant consequences. It was his gift. 

“My lord, you’re right Mister Erde! We should be going! Please, let us get seated so we can take off!” he said, waiting a moment after speaking. Aqua assumed, again, believing he was using his manners, allowing Aqua to enter the jet first. But the very moment where she stepped closer to the steps into the jet, Even cut her off, not politely allowing her to go at all, and entered it first. Aqua glanced back at Xemnas with an exhausted expression, and he returned it with a sad sigh, motioning for her to go in the aircraft. 

Aqua set her frustration aside, sighing, and entering the jet. Inside it was very cozy, accommodating seats for five or six people, and each seat was equipped with a different luxury. It was stupid, Aqua thought, and she seated herself on the right side of the jet. The floors were lined with plush carpeting, and the overall style and decor of the luxury aircraft reminded Aqua of Terra and Ven’s apartment in Los Angeles. Xemnas followed her lead, taking a seat behind her on the right side of the jet. A flight attendant greeted and met both members of the Erde-Meister side of the business, ending in a discussion with Even at the back of the plane. The pilot and co-pilot emerged from the cab, briefly exchanging some information about their flight to Xemnas and Even, but not Aqua. They left back to the cab, closing the curtain behind them. 

Aqua turned to Xemnas, raising an eyebrow. “Why didn’t they tell me anything? Aren’t they aware of who I am?” she whispered, hoping she was drowned out by the loud engine starting outside. 

Xemnas shook his head, furrowing his brow. “I don’t know but I can fill you in,” he said, just as quietly as she spoke. 

“Please!” 

He leant in, glancing at Even from across the wide aisle that separated them. “Basically they just said that it’ll be a little over three hours in flight, and we’ll be flying at a cruising speed of just under five-hundred miles per hour. I don’t know why they didn’t tell you that…” he finished, leaning back in his seat. 

Aqua huffed, rolling her eyes. She’d always been treated fairly by flight crews and pilots before, and she was always informed of the details of the flights when she was aboard. This single time, she decided to set her differences aside and let it slide. They might’ve thought she was uninterested or too busy with something else to enlighten her, or it could have just been that they didn’t think that she should know since she was a woman. Aqua, in her bitter and still uncertain state of the entire trip, assumed they were just being sexist, and it set her at ease a little. 

The flight attendant was running the mill of the safety procedures, should they be in an accident where safety measures needed to be taken. They hadn’t even left the tarmac yet, and the safety procedures were making Aqua nervous. She never liked flying, but her fear had to be put aside. She had to keep reminding herself that this trip was going to help her family. It was going to improve her life, she just had to gather the patience to believe that it will. 

\---

The three hour flight was exuberant, thanks to the amenities in the jet, but Aqua didn’t like bonding with Mister Fierte over a glass of bourbon. She’d try to avoid conversations about her business, or her family. She did learn that Even had little of a family, and absorbed himself in his work constantly. He was a very impressive man, carrying two master degrees, one in engineering and one in biochemistry, and a doctorate in medicine. While they spoke, he exposed the rumors of him working with chemical weapons for the military, which turned out to be true; his mood remained unchanged, and it seemed he was asked that often. It was supposedly top secret… but there wasn’t much protection left behind it. 

When Aqua spoke of her own achievements, Even acted completely enamored by them. He told her that he admired all of her films and shows, even going as far as reminiscing on a time that he watched one in a theater. Aqua shook away the fact that she used to be an actor, pulling regards to Xemnas, and how he too would act. Terra’s brother graciously accepted the attention, and started his own discussion with Mister Fierte. 

Before they landed, Aqua retreated to the restroom to fix up a little makeup, but found herself getting lost at the face in the mirror. This past January, she had just turned thirty, looking not a day older than twenty. Her youthful complexion confused her, like it was a lie, she was just so exhausted all of the time. It didn’t make sense to her. She then returned to her seat. 

They landed in Havana a whole half hour later than they were expected. Aqua and Xemnas were forced into a car together, and then driven to the hotel suites where they would call home for a few days, before they would move into their _Casa particular_. Aqua wasn’t planning on spending thousands staying in a hotel for a month, so a private home was necessary. The streets were tiny, barely made for use of automobiles, and there were frequent stops due to people going to and from and then children begging in the street. Beggars were torn out of the way by police and traffic guards, disturbing Aqua with how forceful they acted to the children. 

Food vendors, vacationers, and the rich lined the streets by the ocean-side hotel, and still there was little space for people to walk by. The front street of the hotel reminded Aqua of Miami, Florida, and the design and construction of the hotels were similar. Sunlight harshly beat down on the Caribbean country, and it took Aqua a good while to get accustomed to the warm weather in November, a single day before December started. Washington D.C never got this warm past August. 

As they finally reached the hotel, Aqua noticed a group of men, who looked like they were part of the military, brutally searching people down the street. The men threw women to the ground, screaming something in spanish to them, and waved their guns around. Tourists wandered around the scene, paying no attention to it. Aqua wasn’t sure how to feel, meeting the gaze of one of the violent men in the pack, before being pulled into the hotel. She stumbled inside, knocking against her brother-in-law. 

“Aqua, be careful.” he said quietly, leading her to the elevator. “If you aren’t careful you could be one of those women.” Xemnas let go of her arm, watching her expression falter. 

They entered the elevator, and Aqua pulled her purse off her shoulder. She frowned. “I didn’t know there was so much turmoil here. Why didn’t Even tell me?” she mumbled, furrowing her brow. 

Xemnas shook his head. “He probably thought you already knew about the revolution here, or he didn’t think about telling you at all. Even doesn’t seem worried about it.” he looked down at Aqua. 

The elevator sounded, and Aqua led Xemnas out into the hallway. She found her suite, glancing back at her brother-in-law before going inside. They exchanged a disconcerting look. Aqua then turned away, unlocking the door to her suite and hurrying inside. She stepped past the threshold into the room. 

Inside the luxury suite were the commodities for a few nights stay until the private house was ready. The grand room had a comfortable lounge area, shared with a kitchenette and dining table. Behind closed doors laid the bedroom and bathroom. The room and its amenities reassured Aqua that the trip would be alright, nothing was going to happen. She set her purse down on the dining table, along with the key to her room, and opened the doors into her bedroom. The decor in the suite was quite tropical, bright colors painted the walls, adorned the bedding and furniture, and playful ornaments and paintings laid on the walls. While Aqua still discovered things around her room, there was a knock at the door. She left to open it, greeting the bellhops who carried her luggage up. Aqua lead them in, thanking them to the best of her ability in Spanish, and paying them for their work. 

The sun still lingered high in the sky when Aqua left to go speak to Xemnas and Even on the first night. Even had planned an entire night out, inviting his other business partner, Ansem, to come along. Ansem was a tall man with dark skin and silver hair, looking quite similar to Xemnas, and his eyes were even a shade of orange. He was born in the United States, but moved to Cuba some ten years ago after inheriting his father’s millions. Ansem invested in building hotels and tourist attractions for visitors, even while giving back to the community. Since the start of the Cuban Revolution, he had been under fire from the rebels for his capitalistic actions and his interests in consumerism. The man was bilingual, and acted as the translator for their night out. 

Even lead the group around Havana, ending the tour by having an extravagant dinner. The meal consisted mostly of rice and beans, but chicken was provided for a protein. Then they were served a traditional dessert of a caramel flan and vanilla ice cream, called _Copa Lolita_. Aqua ordered the dish before a positive recommendation by Ansem. She fell in love with it, believing she was capable of eating another, but prevented herself from eating anymore. Even did constantly order more rum and drinks for the group, and Aqua thought she was going to get sick from all of the alcohol she drank. She had to remind herself that she was here on business and not vacation. Aqua was the one taking her husband's advice, not Xemnas. 

Throughout the night, Aqua would hazily glance over at her brother-in-law, noticing his superb sobriety. She couldn’t remember if he had anything to drink at all, but in her nearly drunk subconscious, she was beginning to forget quite a lot. By the time the restaurant was going to close and Even had to part ways for the night, Aqua was _smashed_. Xemnas had to help her back to the hotel, safely and surely returning her to her room. 

The moment he opened the door to her hotel room, Aqua scrambled past the kitchenette and through the room to get to her bathroom. Saliva sloshed up in her mouth, and her hand slapped over her lips. All of the rum and dinner didn’t want to stay down, and the second she hit the floor in front of the toilet, the regret of the night came back up the way it went in. She threw up all of her dinner, and all of the alcohol she drank. Bile burned her throat, and she coughed, moaning after the second round of vomit rushed from her mouth. 

Xemnas came to her side, pulling her hair away from her face as she sweat like crazy. He knelt beside her, flushing the toilet twice to clean the slate before she might get sick again. His expression was worrisome, and it bothered Aqua. “Are you alright Aqua?” he whispered, rubbing circles into her back. 

The woman shivered, glancing at him. “No. I’m not alright.” she slurred, shaking her head. “I shouldn’t have drank that much, I’m an idiot.”

“No, you’re not, Aqua. It’s only the first night here in Havana. I think you deserved a treat…” he trailed off, witnessing her throw up again, immediately looking away as she regurgitated. “I should have said something. If it’s anyone’s fault, it should be mine.” 

Aqua started to shake, groaning and wiping her forehead with the back of her hand. “You shouldn’t have that responsibility. I’m thirty goddamn years old and I have a husband and child. I should’ve known better.” She kept her head down, blindly reaching up to flush the toilet again. 

Xemnas frowned, watching the still very drunk woman try to stand up. “Don’t be so hard on yourself. I should have said something when we were out. It was wrong for me to sit by and watch you drown yourself.” he said, helping her to her feet. 

She shook her head, feeling the nausea bubble away. “You’re my brother-in-law, not my babysitter for christ’s sake.” she mumbled, leaning against Xemnas’ chest. Her legs wobbled in her heels, and she reached down, pulling one off. She lost her balance.

Her brother-in-law sighed, catching her before she fell to the ground. He held onto her arm tightly, leading her into the bedroom. He sat her down on the bed, removing her other shoe for her. “You know, you are such a burden when you are drunk. I’m surprised Terra’s never had to deal with this.” Xemnas complained, standing back up to remove his suit jacket in the warm air. He reached over to the fan on the side table, flipping the switch on. 

“Oh boo. You don’t know anything about my relationship with Terra.”

Xemnas turned halfway, raising an eyebrow. “You’ll forget this entire conversation tomorrow morning, which _is_ one of our biggest days here. And I can’t trust you to be left alone, so I guess I’m bunking with you tonight.” he said, stepping out into the kitchenette to pour a glass of water. He then returned to Aqua, finding her unbuttoning the top of her dress. 

He flushed, glancing away. “What are you doing?” In an attempt to distract himself from her, he turned to the wide window, but he still spotted her in the reflection. 

“Uh… I’m changing.” she said, shaking her head. “Am I not allowed to do that or something? I just don’t feel like wearing this anymore.” 

“I can’t let you just walk around naked, it’s not something I’m in interest to see.” 

“I don’t care.” 

“Aqua, you’re a married woman. I’m your husband’s brother. We are on business in a foreign country. I am not ruining your marriage, and neither are you.” 

“No one has to know! Sheesh. Get over it.” 

Xemnas set down his glass, turning around. He marched to her side, stopping her from removing any of her clothes. “Aqua, you are drunk. If you want to change clothes, then tell me where your other clothes are, and we can decide on what you can wear before you fall asleep.” he told her, meeting her eyes. 

Aqua pouted, trying to take her hands out of his grasp. She couldn’t, eventually sighing in resignation. “My luggage is in the closet.” she mumbled, flicking her eyes to the floor. Even in her drunkenness, her brain must have realized the embarrassing situation. She turned her head away and closed her eyes, like she was trying to make it go away. 

The space between them was small, barely enough room at all to breathe; which was the root of Aqua’s embarrassment. Xemnas noticed this, quickly letting go of her hands to step away. He swallowed hard, clearing his throat. His eyes wouldn’t leave her form, and he had to think of something to say. 

“I’m sorry.” he said, setting a hand over his mouth in his own embarrassment. “I shouldn’t have…” he trailed off. 

Aqua held the top of her dress closed, not thinking to button it back up. A kick of sobriety hit her with more embarrassment and awkwardness, and she stared at the floor in an attempt to forget that Xemnas still stood a foot or two away from her. She let the silence flood into the room. Her cheeks bloomed bright red from the embarrassment stabbing her heart, and she stood up, leaving for the great room and her luggage. Aqua opened the first suitcase, immediately finding a nightgown tucked inside. She also nabbed her robe, quickly zipping up her suitcase after removing her night clothes. 

Xemnas had taken a seat in the armchair beside the window, silently looking outside, and clearly trying to clear his head. He eyed Aqua’s reflection in the window as she passed by. Her perfume’s scent almost tripled in intensity, overflowing his senses in one large wave. It wasn’t this bad before. Why did he want this? Why did he think this was okay? 

As Aqua shut the bathroom door, she met her doppelganger in the mirror. She approached the sink, reaching for the washcloth hanging from the towel rack, and she started to remove her makeup. The cool water hitting her face made her perk up a bit more sobriety-wise, but she was still nauseated. She stripped from her evening wear, removing all of the gross reminders of the night, and figured it would be a good time for a shower. The woman was able to clear her mind, the alcohol slowly left her mind the longer she stood under the running water. One thing she couldn’t get out of her mind was the conversation she had with her brother. What if the man sitting out in her hotel room wanted her dead? Or did he want her for something else? She desperately tried to push the intrusive and bothersome thoughts from her mind, but anxiety simmered in her heart. 

Her skin pruned, and that became the alarm for her exit. She pulled a towel from the stack on the side table, drying off enough to slip on her nightgown. She already began to miss her own bathroom at home, which sank her into a moment of missing her family. Aqua exited the bathroom, running fingers through her wet hair, then pulling the blue mess into a towel to dry. She glanced at her brother-in-law sitting at the side of the window, and she frowned looking away. She denied the accusation from Lea. Denial made her feel better. 

“I’m feeling much more sober now.” she said, turning her back to him. Aqua stood at the dresser, reading a pamphlet for activities in the area. “You can leave now…” 

Xemnas looked her way, immediately diverting his gaze from her form. “I understand.” he replied calmly, standing from his seat. He reached for his suit jacket, tucking it under his arm. The waterglass was firmly in his right hand, but before he left to return it to the kitchenette, he watched as she turned his way. He met her eyes. 

“Do you need anything before I leave?” 

Aqua’s heart stabbed with pain, and she stepped in his direction before abruptly stopping. She forced herself to shake her head. “No…” she murmured. Something inside of her wanted him to stay, this thing urged her to keep him here, but it wasn’t for anything but her own reasons. Her hand wanted to reach out and welcome him, but she knew it was wrong. She was married, she had a child with her husband. 

“Alright. Have a good night, Aqua.” he said, leaving the bedroom. 

_Nobody would know, Aqua. It would be your dirty little secret._ Said another intrusive thought, and her eyebrow twitched as disgust boomed in her stomach. Her hands pulled at the tie on her robe in a frenzy. Aqua forced herself to remember that she was drunk, not even thirty minutes ago, that she was _still_ drunk! She might’ve sobered up a little, but she was still very drunk. Yes, very drunk. 

She followed him out into the great room, watching him carefully set his glass aside and leave for the door. “G-goodnight, Xemnas.” she stuttered, covering her mouth in embarrassment. 

Xemnas raised an eyebrow, smiling softly back at her before leaving the room. He swiftly opened the door, and glanced back before stepping outside. 

“Goodnight, Aqua.”

\---

That night, Aqua immediately went to bed, trying to force the gross thoughts and behaviors out of her system. She woke up the next morning, confused and relieved that the sun had finally risen in the sky, and any possible motive in her heart was extinguished. The king-sized bed in the hotel room was empty, but she reassured herself that she was just missing Terra. She started the morning by lugging her suitcases into the bedroom, unlatching all of them to coordinate an outfit for the day. 

Using the phone in her room, she called the front desk, ordering breakfast by room service, and then fled to the bathroom to freshen up. She followed her normal routine in the morning as if she was at home, but this time she was faced with a brutal headache. Her perfume smelled almost five times as strong as it usually did, and brushing her teeth left a gross taste in her mouth. The muscles in her arms and legs were exhausted.. She promised to herself to not have any more drinks while in Cuba. 

Breakfast was delivered to her room, and the stewardess that brought the food in even set the table for Aqua. The businesswoman thanked her in spanish, and gave her a few pesos for her job. Aqua ate alone, occasionally glancing at her wristwatch to see if it was time to meet up with the others yet. She was an hour ahead of schedule, and she was even surprised. Within the extra hour of requesting aspirin for her headache and eating breakfast, she still had some time to kill. She decided to go see if Xemnas was ready, figuring he wouldn’t mind if she came over. Aqua grabbed her things, and before she left, she put her hat on. 

She stepped out of her room, locking the door with her room key. A few other patrons to the hotel were leaving their own room, a wife and husband, Aqua suspected, and she nicely gave a nod of her head as she passed by. Even after all of the years she spent being the charismatic star in movies and advertisements, she developed a liking to silence rather than chatter all the time. Over the eight or so years of her inheriting the family work, she’s become more reserved, and with all of the eyes of others on her, she’s tamed her opinion and her tongue. 

After she passed the last door in the hallway, she finally reached his room, and she knocked gently on the door. “Xemnas? It’s me, Aqua. Are you awake?” she said, tightening the grip on her purse. A moment passed by where there was no response. She knocked again. “Xemnas?” 

Before she knocked again, the door opened, and on the other side was Xemnas, half-dressed. He smiled gently. “Oh, Aqua it’s you. Good morning. Did you sleep well?” he asked. 

Aqua’s eyes widened, and she diverted her attention away from his bare upper-half. “Yes, I slept fine, thank you. And you?” Her voice cracked, but she tried to keep her cool. Thoughts started to pour into her head, thoughts that pounded against her brain with the surge of her headache. "Isn't there a shirt you can put on or something?"

He glanced down, scratching the back of his head. "I was in the middle of that actually, I can if you--" 

Aqua shook her head, carefully avoiding his form. "It's whatever. How are you?" she said, clearing her throat.

“Fine, thanks.” Xemnas nodded, leaning against the doorframe of his hotel room. “Say, I wasn’t expecting you to be awake this early. Are you recovering from your hangover alright?” 

“Yes-- I mean, I do have a pounding headache, but besides for that, I’m fine.” she replied, meeting his eyes. Aqua frowned, glancing back down the hallway to distract herself. She watched a maid attend to someone’s room. “How much longer do you think it will take you to get ready? I’m probably going to head down to make a call at a booth in the lobby.” she explained, crossing her arms. 

“Oh, I’ll probably be another twenty or so minutes, depending on when my breakfast gets here.” he looked at his wristwatch. “You should go make your call. There’s some men patrolling, so you’ll be safe.” He stood up and away from the doorway, and ran a hand through his wet hair. 

Aqua raised an eyebrow. “Men? Did you call for them?” she asked, turning back to him, uncrossing her arms. “Why did you do that?”

Xemnas frowned, shifting his gaze away from hers. “I need to make sure you’re safe. Besides, it wasn’t much. I just made a few phone calls last night after I left your suite, and Ansem was more than willing to spare a few.” he replied. “I can’t let you get hurt.” 

His words made Aqua tense up. He sounded exactly like Terra those many years ago, when Aqua first spoke to him at her home in California. She shivered, meeting his eyes one last time. In his eyes, she nothing but her husband’s. The resemblance between the two men was uncanny, and if it weren’t for their different hairstyles and eye colors, they might’ve been identical twins. Her eyebrow twitched, and she immediately tried to think of a response. 

“I need to go make my call.” she blurted out, turning from him. “I’ll see you downstairs.” 

Aqua hurried towards the elevator, ringing the bell for it to pick her up. She felt Xemnas’ eyes on her for a few more seconds, and she tried to shut him out from her mind. The elevator came to her floor and she rode it down to the lobby. She found the public telephones, stepping inside one of the booths. 

The telephone operator spoke completely in spanish, and Aqua wasn’t fluent enough to answer any of the questions. She only knew a few words, so she hung up the phone and left the booth. A phone call home would have to wait until later. Lea and Terra would understand. 

Since she couldn’t make her call, Aqua wandered around the lobby of the hotel, observing the tropical decor and the front desk. She sat down in the lounge, waiting patiently for either Xemnas to appear, or Ansem to come greet them for their long day of business. Aqua was eager and ready for this trip to be over. Between her confusion with her brother-in-law, to craving more alcohol during a terrible hangover, she desperately wanted to be back home with her daughter and husband. 

But it was only the _first_ real day of being in Havana, and she had to think positively. This entire thing was going to benefit her. And if it didn’t, then she wouldn’t lose much. The investments hadn’t even started. 

\----

The first day consisted of Even sitting down with his partners and a few contractors. They spoke plans of refurbishing and repairing an abandoned hotel in northern Havana. A few designers came in to speak about possible ideas of how the hotel would look, but one from the local area wasn’t able to make it in. Days later, it was rumored he was killed. 

Aqua and Xemnas moved into their _Casa particular_ a week later, and the presence of bodyguards increased. Meandering around the rental home reminded Aqua of her time in Ostend, but this time she thought the size of help was a little ridiculous. Men patrolled on every floor, in areas that didn’t need looking after, but Xemnas persisted that it’d be done. 

Since they had arrived in Havana, there have been only a few calls back home. Aqua was able to speak to her husband, her brother, and even a quick hello to her mother. She still missed them beyond belief, some days it was even hard for her to get out of bed at the absence of Terra or Lorelei. The agonizingly slow pace of how Even wanted to get things done pushed back the date of when they could go back home, and Aqua had to resist the frighteningly strong urge to kill him. She came down here for that man, but she at least expected him to make simple decisions. Even was doing nothing of the sort. 

Being stuck in Havana during the approaching holiday was a nightmare in itself. The rich poured in as alternatives to trips in the Bahamas or any of the other Caribbean Islands, and the commutes to Ansem’s building took longer with each day spent. To make matters even better, halfway through the month of December, Even celebrated his birthday. 

The man invited his business partners to his regal penthouse in downtown Havana. Even was turning 65, his age hiding behind his annoying and frustrating demeanor. He looked no day older than 50, but it seemed that his extravagant habits of drinking and smoking were catching up to him. During his party alone, Aqua witnessed him constantly smoking a cigarette with one hand, and asking the bartender to refill his drink constantly. He was digging his own grave, yet it wasn’t a surprising thing to see.

An hour or two into the party, a cake was brought out, and Even cut into it. Plates were passed around, and then the older man cleared his throat for a speech. “I’m so delighted to be sharing this birthday with all of you, especially in one of my favorite places on earth.” he said, a fabricated expression forming as he spoke.

Aqua wasn’t impressed by his ploy. She set down the plate and fork that was handed to her. 

“We are all here together, and in all honesty, I don’t think this could have been possible without my dear friend Aqua Erde.” he raised his glass to her, and the people all clapped. His eyes returned to the others on the patio when she smiled, and he opened his mouth to continue on. “She’s been an important part of our journey here to Havana, and I couldn’t have wanted to work with anyone else. Eraqus raised you right, Aqua.” 

Thirty-something people clapped and cheered, and Aqua forced a smile to appreciate the other's sentiment. She shifted in place, nodding. “Well, Even, I hope our venture will continue as strongly as it’s taken off. Happy birthday, old friend.” she replied calmly, despite her biting and unsettled heart. Something didn’t seem right to her. 

Even and the group laughed, continuing to clap for another moment or so. Then the music started back up, and the crowd dispersed around the patio. Aqua took a gulp of her drink, ending her abstinence from alcohol. The stress of doing only one to two meaningless things a day started to really burn into her, and the booze set her at ease. She desperately wanted to leave Havana. 

Aqua set herself aside on the patio, away from other party-goers, and hoped for little to no conversation. The sun started to set, casting a beautiful orange and blue gradient in the sky. People on the streets below walked along to their own beat, and Aqua found it interesting watching people from all walks of life wander around. It was fascinating to watch until she spotted another attack some four or five streets away. The sight wasn’t hard to miss across the low-lying roofs. She slipped back around to the party, sipping her champagne and smiling at other party guests. The tulle under her dress made it difficult for the breeze to take her skirt, but the hanging cape of silk organza at her back flew along with the wind. 

This night reminded her of the one so many years ago in California, when she first spoke with Terra. Aqua closed her eyes and leant against the stone railing of the patio. Warm air tickled the back of her neck, and she smiled, sighing. These moments where Aqua was able to be alone to herself calmed her, sure it was lonely, but it gave her the time and space to herself. She thought about the conversation she had with Lea, again. 

Aqua opened her eyes, frowning. She turned halfway, glancing back at her brother-in-law inside the penthouse. He was talking with some men from the local area, probably speaking in spanish. Xemnas had more fluency in the language than Aqua did, and he explained that he was taught all through his years in school. He always seemed to have an explanation for everything. It irked Aqua. 

She really did want the best for him, but there was so much uncertainty in her heart that she was confused about how she should feel towards him. Lea seemed pretty damn certain that Xemnas called in the barrage on that night in October, and Aqua partially believed him. The gun’s model and manufacturing location made sense, the appearance of the man who used the weapon had the characteristics of someone from southern California. But with all of these facts to support Lea’s claim, it still didn’t convince Aqua completely. The Erde family and the Meister family have had a close and stable relationship throughout the years, and it wouldn’t make sense for them to turn against one another. Aqua was the very catalyst that officially brought the families together legally. She married into their family, and Terra married into hers. 

Aqua got flustered with all of these thoughts spinning in her head. She reached for the railing, squeezing it in relief from her dizziness. Her eyes fell to the floor, and she looked at each small crack and crevice in the stone tiles. It distracted her for a moment, and she flicked her gaze back up at Xemnas, who just happened to be looking her way. She smiled. Suddenly, it was that moment of slow motion, the party guests stopped dead in their tracks, the music was slow and dull. Even the scent of the nearby ocean dissolved. Except Xemnas. This moment lasted forever, and just a single look was exchanged in that forever.

During the trip so far, Aqua and Xemnas avoided each other after meetings and gatherings for work. Aqua was conflicted, as if the first day of their stay set the tone for the entire trip, not to mention the obsessive and wild thoughts in her brain about the possibility of Xemnas trying to kill her. Anyone with eyes could see how close the man tried to get to Aqua, and they could also see how awkward she would act around him too. 

Aqua tore herself out of the moment, blinking and turning back to the view behind her. Lights started to turn on in the streets, one by one. Her breath hitched, and her grasp around the champagne glass tightened. Fuzzy memories of similar feelings popped around in her mind, and she sighed, trying to ignore them. Time resumed beside her, and everything returned to the common world. She wanted nothing more than the opportunity to leave Havana and go home. 

As she was about to turn around, a hand found her shoulder. Aqua looked up, finding that it was Xemnas who joined her side. He wore an expression of worry, but smiled softly. “How are you holding up tonight?” he asked, locking eyes with her. Aqua forced her way out of his gaze by stepping to the side and facing the ground. 

“I’m alright, I just have a lot on my mind.” she replied, resisting the urge to make the wrong choices. She raised the glass of champagne to her lips, finishing what was left. “It’d be nice to go back to the house soon, this party isn’t exciting me anymore.” 

He chuckled, returning his hand to his side. “Your announcement was stretched a bit. I could hear some of the resentment in your voice.” Xemnas grinned, trying to meet her eyes again. 

Aqua shook her head, cracking a smile. “Listen, you weren’t supposed to know that!” her voice drew to a whisper, and she broke into a laugh. 

Xemnas laughed with her. “Why don’t we go back home,” he said, breaking off from his laughter. “It’s getting late, and I’d really like to not be lost somewhere in Havana.” He looked away to the streets, watching a few people walk by before turning back to Aqua. 

“I’d like that,” Aqua smiled, resting her empty glass on a table nearby. She made a few steps towards the penthouse, glancing over her shoulder at her brother-in-law. “Coming?” 

He nodded, following after her. 

\---

The moment Aqua walked in the door of her vacation home, she retreated for the lounge upstairs. Inside held a liquor cabinet, and that remained her primary objective. Feelings stabbed her heart like an ice pick, an unending round of in and out. It left her nauseous. She poured rum into a glass, setting the decanter back onto the tray and shoving the stopper back on top. 

Aqua raised the glass up, quickly drinking the rum down. She poured another, dragging the decanter and cup over to the sofa and coffee table with her. Once she sat down, removed her jacket and shoes, tossing them to the floor. A sigh escaped her throat, and she tried to alleviate the pain and anxiety in her heart. 

“Why do you drink so much?” 

Aqua looked at the doorway, spotting Xemnas standing in the threshold. She frowned, shifting her eyes from his form down to her glass. Her head shook. “It helps me calm down… I suppose.” she said softly.

Xemnas entered the room, closing the door behind himself. He stepped over to the side table, turning on the lamp and then sitting beside her on the sofa. His hands folded over his lap, and his attention was on Aqua. “You shouldn’t rely on it so much, it might not prove you so well later in life.” he offered, leaning against the cushions to stretch his arm across the back of the sofa. 

She scoffed. “Oh? Where did you hear that from?” Aqua asked, tilting her glass back and forth, watching the liquid rush back and forth from each side of the glass. After a moment, she turned her head to look at Xemnas. Her eyes wouldn’t leave his lips. She didn’t know why. 

“I didn’t hear it from anywhere. It’s something I believe we can drink in moderation. Not all the time.” Xemnas noticed her staring, and he smirked. “Aqua, you are staring at me.” His eyes flashed to her lips. 

A flame flickered in Aqua’s heart, and the alcohol catalyzed it into a bonfire. She took another sip, still staring intently at the man beside her. “I know…” she whispered, pulling her legs under the poofy skirt of her dress. Her breath hitched, and that was the sign for her her force her eyes away. “What is happening between us?” she asked, blinking thoughts away from her mind. 

Xemnas hummed, shaking his head. “I didn’t think there _was_ anything happening. We’re just working--” 

“I know we are working, but something is happening. My heart constantly jumps out of my chest, I’m on edge around you, and I hate it.” Aqua countered, licking her lips. Her eyes bounced back to his form, and every one of her muscles tensed. She gulped down the rest of her drink. “I hate how I can’t spend even a minute around you without having these feelings assault me.” 

Xemnas laughed, but then frowned as he noticed the severity of her words. His brow lowered, and he avoided her gaze. He shook his head, letting each one of her words sink in. “Aqua… we can’t. You can’t--” he stammered, covering his mouth with his hand. 

“I don’t want to. This isn’t something I want.” Aqua frowned.

Aqua wasn’t surprised by his reaction. Xemnas was always the man who saved face, who was capable of remaining calm in stressful situations. He never lasted in a relationship, and some called him heartless, when others assumed he didn’t even have emotions. But beneath all of the accusations and name calling, he was a fine man. He had a charming personality, he was strong, powerful, but above all, he was strict. He was inherently good, but his career as an assassin broke the name he once had. Xemnas also cared about his brother, and he would never want to hurt him. 

“Aqua we can’t do this.” he told her, closing his eyes. Xemnas wiped his hands down his face. “I can’t hurt my brother, and I can’t hurt your child. I don’t want to hurt you either.” 

Aqua choked back a laugh, shifting her gaze away. “I don’t want to hurt anyone either! I love my husband! I love my family! I’m not going to have this…” she paused, motioning between her and Xemnas. “...this thing, get in between my marriage!” She stood up, slamming her glass on the table. 

“Then why are you accusing me of all of this? I've done anything to you!” he said, meeting her side. Xemnas shifted in place. 

Aqua turned on her heel, biting her lip. She glared at him and took a deep breath. Her eyes fell back down to his lips. The world started to slow down again, and this wasn’t a good sign. She moved less than an inch closer to him, even when her mind told her no.

Xemnas kept looking between her eyes and her lips, and with less than even another moment going by, he pulled her into a kiss. It was sudden, catching both of them off guard. His brain reacted, the endorphins in his body surged, but he stepped away from her. He shook his head, cursing at himself. 

Aqua breathed heavily, staring wide-eyed at Xemnas just a foot away. Her hands reached up to touch her lips, and once she realized what had happened, her brain overflowed with the consequences. She closed the gap between them, reaching up with the tips of her toes to bring their lips back together. This kiss carried no good intention behind it, and it was driven by lust. She was sloppy, pressing her hands at his jaw, and moved his head to the side, opting for a more comfortable position.

After a frantic run to the bedroom, just before Aqua met the side of the bed, her eyes met his in one last act of sanity. At the back of her throat laid words she whispered to herself weeks before, almost knowing that time ago that this night was bound to happen. She watched from her peripheral vision that he closed the door, and she pulled her jewelry off in a quick movement. Xemnas rushed back to her front, sweeping her into another kiss. Aqua closed her eyes, gently tugging at his clothes as the kiss persisted. Once they broke apart for a moment, Aqua locked eyes with him and let the words slip from her mouth.

_“Nobody will know. It’s our secret.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Holidays! Here's the update that I wanted to bestow you lovely beans with for the wonderful season! I don't have much of a note to write since I'm still heavily recovering from seeing The Last Jedi today, which was FUCKING AMAZING, but there is still so much in store for this wonderful trainwreck of a fic! I appreciate all of your support, and I hope each and every one of you have a wonderful holiday and New Year! 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and I hope to see you in the next chapter! <3
> 
> (P.S. yo im sorry about the direction this has taken! i needed more drama!)


	4. A New Year's Celebration

Morning light flooded in from the open windows, the bird’s requiem blared into the room like a choir from church. Aqua laid with her back to the window, her head rested softly on the pillow, and her body was wrapped up in the blankets and sheets of the bed. She slept alone in bed, but remnants of the night’s activities were strewn across the floor. The bedside phone started to ring, tearing Aqua out of the blissful place of rest. 

Her eyes opened slowly, pushing herself up to reach over and grab the phone. The bothersome ringing ended, relieving ears from the terrible noise. Before speaking, she cleared her throat and stared at her clothes on the floor. Her head shook, and she set the receiver of the phone by her head. 

“Hello?” Aqua said. She felt the sheets slipping from her bare body, quickly yanking them upwards and holding them in place with her hand. 

“Aqua? It’s Lea! How are you? Are you keeping well?” 

Embarrassment and shame poofed in her heart. Aqua shook her head, preparing herself to lie. “Yeah, I just woke up. I’m fine though. It’s been pretty busy down here, and yesterday Even held a birthday party for himself.” she explained, running her eyes around the room. 

Lea scoffed on the other end. “Sounds interesting. What happened at the party?” he asked, clearing his throat. 

“Boring party stuff. Food, drinks, cake-- the usual. How are Terra and Lorelei? I’m hoping I’ll be back for Christmas, but I doubt it.” Aqua imagined being with her family, but it was shadowed by her guilt for cheating. She couldn’t let anyone find out. No matter what. 

“Superdad and Lorli are fine! My favorite niece was in a Christmas pageant for school, and we have pictures. It was wonderful.” Lea said, slowly trailing off. 

Aqua took a deep breath, steeling her nerves. Now wasn’t the time to get upset. “Thank you, I can’t wait to see them.” she replied, picking at her fingers that held up the sheet. “Lea… I suspect that you’re calling me for another reason than to just fill me in on the family back home. Am I right?” 

Lea audibly sighed on the other end. Aqua didn’t like the sound of that. “You’re right again… Aqua. And I regret to inform you that it isn’t good news.” he paused waiting for a response. 

“Don’t wait to tell me,” Aqua said quickly, shaking her head. “Just… Just tell me now.” Her heart pounded wildly in her chest. 

“The boys were able to trace the weapon and the man back to their employer. From the attack on the house, some two months ago at this point.” Lea explained. His tone changed so much between topics, it was frightening. “We have your guy, Aqua.” 

The very event that her brother spoke of was the last thing on Aqua’s mind. Since she had left the states, she remained so focused on work, that she’d nearly forgotten that it occurred. But at the mention of the traumatic event, Aqua remembered it so vividly, from the moment she dropped to the floor, to crying hysterically in the arms of her husband.

“You’ve found him--” 

“I don’t think you’re ready for the reveal, Aqua. I’m not surprised by it, but I know you will.” Lea interrupted. “It’s someone I know you weren’t expecting.” 

Aqua didn’t respond, closing her eyes in preparation of the man who sent orders to kill her. She laid back against the pillows on the bed, shaking her head. Deep down, it was obvious who did it, but she kept fighting the voice of reason in her mind for such a long time now. It was time to find out. She needed to resolve this issue. 

“Aqua are you still there?” Lea asked. 

“Yeah. I’m still here. Just… tell me who it was.” 

Lea took a moment, and something rustled on the other side of the phone. “So, I sent a few of our boys out to visit Xehanort and Braig, just to close any suspicion that they might have done it. The boys tell me that they were hurt by my assumption to their hand in this, but I called and personally cleaned it up. Don’t worry.” 

“Lea… that’s great and all, but it’d really settle my conscience if you’d get to the jist of the situation.” Aqua said, holding back the words she really wanted to say to him. “I’m sorry, it’s just been a long week.” She reopened her eyes.

“I understand, Aqua. I completely understand.” Lea vowed. “Anyway, they pointed me in the direction of who orders that kind of gun and… well, I was right since the beginning. Xemnas ordered it, Aqua.” Lea finished, exhaling into the phone. 

Aqua’s heart shattered. She _prayed_ that it didn’t have to come to this. The news couldn’t have come at a better time. Aqua was a fool. She tried to play dumb, to not let anything stab into her steeled interior, but that man did. He was able to break right through her skin, and ruin an important part of her. Her heart. 

She choked back a sob, quickly clearing her throat. “I see. Thank you for letting me know, Lea. It means a lot to me.” Aqua quavered. The guilt and shame of what she had done _destroyed_ her, like a flame tearing through a wooden shed. She pressed back tears, forcing her breathing to even so she could finish the call with Lea. 

“What are you going to do about it, Aqua?” he implored, a tinge of worry hiding under his tone. Lea must have already known what she was going to do about this problem. Family revolved around her, she cared and wanted everything for her family. Nothing less than the best. She always went the extra mile for them, she took time out of what she was doing to help them. Yet if anyone ever went against her family, or someone betrayed their own, she would bring the thunder. No one was going to be left unscathed. 

Aqua’s chest burned with anger. “I will confront him when we come home. And above any circumstances, Lea,” she paused, gathering her thoughts. “You cannot tell Terra. He can’t know, or he’ll try to prevent his brother’s punishment.” Her hand wrapped tightly around the phone, knuckles running white. 

Lea hummed. “I understand. Well, I’ll let Terra and Lorelei know that you called. I have to fix some of the books and then check up on the hotel downtown.” he said, clearing his throat. 

Aqua nodded, bidding farewell to her brother. Afterwards, she set the phone back down, and closed her eyes. There she laid in bed, beside herself on an issue that was never going to end nicely. She hurt for Terra. She hurt for what he would be like after his brother’s demise. Aqua clearly remembered the years of mourning and suffering she endured from losing her own step-brother and her father, but Terra was there for her, even when it wasn’t his fault at all. 

The sheets stuck to the sweat and skin on her body, and she tore them off, giving a last glance at the vile bedspread before escaping into the bathroom. She slammed the door, starting the water for a shower. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror, and Aqua found it difficult to find positive things in the reflection. Before the previous night’s affair (quite literally in these means) she was proud of her body, she admired the body that gave birth to life, but now… this body reminded her of the temptation she fell to. 

Aqua wanted to believe that Xemnas was just as equally ashamed and fully packed with guilt, and he had an even heavier cross to bear since he tried to kill her. She let him seduce her and put her under his spell. While in the shower, she let the water run, allowing her to gather her thoughts. It wouldn’t be honest if she were to say that she didn’t feel pleasure and excitement from the act, but it made her feel better to lie to herself. Aqua weighed her options against Xemnas, understanding that she will deliver the just and equal punishment unto him, like he did to make her suffer. 

\---

The holidays past, and it grew closer to New Years Eve. Between Even’s birthday and the 25th, he fell ill. The stubborn bastard refused treatment with a local Cuban doctor, forcing his own to fly in from San Antonio. His doctor diagnosed him with a terminal disease to his liver, something Aqua wasn’t bothered to remember. She grew hesitant to her involvement with Fierte’s plan as more rebel attacks ensued throughout December, and her suspicion that he was working with Xemnas. Even and his bodyguard were stationed at his penthouse on the days following the diagnosis, using phone calls to discuss business with his partners. 

Aqua didn’t speak a word to her brother-in-law formally unless they were at a meeting together, her anger and frustration at his betrayal fueled the dismay in her heart. One night, she decided to order an assassination on Fierte and his bodyguard, calling for a well-known man from Santa Clara. A few days after the attempt, she heard nothing from the man, and she deduced that he was dead.

Even complained up and down about the attempt on his life for days on end. During the last formal meeting the troupe of business partners shared together, Ansem discussed a New Years Eve gala, insisting everyone should go. Aqua reluctantly accepted, figuring she had nothing to lose. Xemnas accepted under the same circumstance, offering the excuse that he: “Wanted more fun before going back home.” 

Now, as Aqua dressed for the gala, she imagined how the night could progress. She stepped into her floor-length gown, zipping up the side. The evening gown was silver in color, form fitting at the hips and waist, and a fishtail train gathered at the small of her back and fell to the floor. A fine pearl necklace wrapped around her neck, and black gloves ran to the middle of her arms. She packed her bags, readying herself for departure at anytime. It was time for her to go home. 

Aqua covered her bare shoulders with a light shawl, grabbed her clutch handbag, and left her room. The rental house was eerily quiet as she made way downstairs, and out of expectation, she thought Xemnas was going to be waiting in the den. He was nowhere in sight, so she went in, standing and waiting for him to be done instead. Her eyes ran over the decor she never bothered to observe before, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw a man whom she had never met. He raised his arm, and Aqua’s eyes widened. Before he had any time to attack her, she dove behind a loveseat and curled up. 

The man fired a few shots into the couch, and Aqua searched for a weapon of her own. Bullets flew through the top of the cushions and fluff from pillows flew around in the air. One guard ran in from the grand foyer, shooting the man down. He started to yell something in Spanish, and Aqua slowly rose from the floor. She brushed off her gown, biting back words of frustration to bark at the guard. Xemnas hurried in from the foyer, his expression frightened beyond belief. 

Aqua met his eyes, fury pouring out of her heart and soul. She narrowed her eyes, shifting her gaze to the numerous guardsmen who gathered around the assassin’s corpse. “Get him the hell out of here!” she growled, shaking her head. “You all should be ashamed.” She left the den, exchanging a nasty look with Xemnas as she passed him into the foyer. 

“We are going home tomorrow, Xemnas. I’m ending the deal with Fierte.” Aqua said, adjusting her outfit. “He clearly doesn’t need my help anymore.” 

Xemnas turned around after making a motion to the guards. He stared at her back, watching as her shoulders relaxed. “Do you think he did this? That’s crazy, Aqua, he wouldn’t want you dead after all of the work we did--” 

“How would you know?” Aqua barked. The conversation slid to a halt, and Aqua shared an intense gaze with her brother-in-law, Xemnas. She grit her teeth, forcing her eyes away from him. “Are you working with him? Are you trying to get me killed?” she asked, crossing her arms. 

“Aqua, I would never-- I could never kill you. You mean too much to me…” Xemnas said firmly, but his voice wavered. His words dug deep into Aqua, since she knew the truth, but she wasn’t going to attack him here. He lowered his gaze to the ground, his hair slowly falling off his shoulder to hang beside his head.  
Aqua exhaled slowly, shaking her head. “No, Xemnas. I never meant anything to you.” she turned on her heel to face the door, as she could hear the car pull up outside. Her eyes trailed up his form, and he slowly lifted his head to meet her gaze. She looked him dead in the eyes. “There was nothing there. I was just another whore to you.” Aqua whispered, letting the insult roll of her tongue. She faced forward, leaving him in the foyer. 

Her heart ached, and as she got into the car to be taken to the gala, her eyes caught sight of her brother-in-law standing in the threshold to the house. The chauffeur closed the car door, and Aqua faced forward, ignoring his looks. Deep down, it felt good to tell him just how she felt, but on the surface, she hated herself. He _was_ still family. 

Once the car pulled away from the curb, Aqua forced her thoughts into something else. 

\--  
The gala didn’t last long past midnight. Aqua went to appease Ansem, chatted with him, but then distanced herself from Even’s brigade of people who came to the event. A decently-sized troupe gathered around for the entertainment, and even the current leader of Cuba attended. His presence worried Aqua greatly. Something was going to mark this occasion off with a bang. 

As the countdown for the New Year ensued, men and women cheered, clapped, and ended the final moments of the year 1958 in a excited bustle. Aqua stood amongst the unfamiliar rich and powerful in Cuba, her eyes glossing the crowd around her to find her brother-in-law. From the very corner of her vision, she saw him emerge from the far end of the ballroom. Xemnas met her eyes. Aqua started to make her way over to him, and as the confetti fell, she wrapped him up into a tight embrace. She took his head in her hands, reaching up on the tips of her toes, and planted a violent kiss on his lips. Aqua pulled away. 

"I know it was you, Xemnas!" she cried, staring deep into his eyes. Her voice was just high enough to be heard over the crowd. "You've broken my heart." 

Xemnas gazed down at his sister-in-law, a grim expression plastered to his face. _"You've truly broken my heart, Xemnas!"_ Aqua repeated, her voice breaking.

The man pulled himself out of her grasp, stepping away from her without losing eye contact with her. Xemnas' usually deep complexion grew pallid, and he fled from the room. 

Cuba’s political leader walked to the pulpit for an announcement, when confetti still soared high from the ceiling, and gave his formal resignation from office. It was timely, elegant, but Aqua understood what he was doing. The man ran off stage after his address, taking the hand of his diamond-clad wife, and shot out of the banquet hall. Music poured into the room again, but Aqua followed the former-leader’s motion, by getting the hell out of the hotel. 

She held up her evening gown, running back to her private house to grab her belongings. In any other situation, she would have left without them, but this was important. Besides, Aqua only heard the first shot of revolution as she entered her house’s gate. People cried in the streets, chanting something in spanish that she couldn’t understand, but they sounded _pissed_. Luckily, the private home was close to the docks, so escape by boat was the most feeble plan of action. 

Aqua’s heels burned in her shoes, but she still ran. She searched through the entire house, calling for her brother-in-law, but he didn’t answer. Her judgement told her to just leave. Xemnas was smart enough to hitch a ride back to America before he’d be killed in the raids. The moment Aqua stepped back out into the driveway of her house, people flooded the streets, marching together towards their common goal. To take back Cuba. 

Five guards escorted her to a fishing trawler harbored nearby. They gave her the luggage and belongings they carried for her, and assisted her into the boat. Aqua shared a concerned smile with them before the captain putted off. The captain and crew spoke broken english, but were easy to understand. They would talk to her by means of small talk, like why she came to Cuba, or why she needed to get out right away. The captain seemed embarrassed by her presence, and Aqua reassured him that she was completely humbled by his ability to transport her. 

Fourteen grueling hours passed, and Aqua wasn’t able to sleep for any of them. She sat in the cabin, gazing out on the sea. The sun rose in the sky, casting high over the ocean and blasting into the windows on the boat. Later into the day, apparently around three into the afternoon, they finally docked in Miami, and Aqua was left to her own devices with all of her luggage in the port. A few men on dock helped her to a local hotel, and she checked into a suite. 

Once she got inside, she ordered food, changed clothes, and laid down on the bed. Aqua realized once she started to fall asleep that she should call Terra and let him know what happened. She reached over to the phone, and dialed her home. 

Dial tone buzzed, and Aqua nodded on and off. She shook her head, leaning against the headboard of the bed, forcing her eyes open. 

“Hello?” It was Lux. 

Aqua jumped in her seat. “Lux? It’s me, Aqua. I need to speak to Terra right away.” she said quickly. 

“Ms. Aqua? Where are you? Are you safe?” he returned. “Is Xemnas with you?” 

Aqua shook her head, frustration bubbling in her chest. “Listen, I’m safe, I’m fine. I escaped before things got bad in Cuba, but I need to talk to Terra. Xemnas wasn’t at the house before I left, but you cannot tell him this. I suspect he’s just fine…” she trailed off, uncertain if he actually was okay or not. The feelings in her heart were still as strong as ever, and a part of her really didn’t care if he was safe. Aqua sighed in frustration. 

Lux cleared his throat. “Yes, yes, of course Aqua. I won’t tell Mr. Erde anything.” he affirmed. A moment passed by where he didn’t say anything, but Aqua could still hear him on the other end. “Is everything alright between you and Xemnas?” 

“Everything is _fine_ Luxord. Please get my husband on the phone.” Aqua chided, and for a moment, her anger was voiced. She shifted in her seat. 

“Yes, I’ll get him right away. Please wait for a moment.” Luxord said, a hint of sadness in his tone. A small clank reverberated on the other end, ringing on Aqua’s end. He must’ve put the phone down. 

A minute or two passed, and the anxiety in Aqua’s heart could not be greater. It had been a week or so since she last spoke to Terra, but that was before she blew up at her brother-in-law. Aqua could admit to herself that she was concerned about where Xemnas was, despite all of her anger and frustration. She still cared about him. She had to keep reminding herself that he is still family. 

“Aqua? Where are you?” Terra said quickly, the worry in his voice nearly knocked Aqua over. 

She nodded. “Terra, I’m fine, I’m alright. I’m at a hotel in Miami right now--” 

“I’m coming down on the next flight. We need to talk, Aqua.” Terra interjected. “Xemnas came back home not even five minutes ago, and he’s worried beyond belief about you. Did something happen in Cuba?” He stopped talking, and Aqua was surprised. She expected him to say more. 

She expected him to mention the affair. 

Aqua sighed. “Terra, I’m fine, please believe me. I was on a boat for fourteen hours, and I only docked an hour ago.” she explained. Exhaustion burned in her chest, and her eyelids weighed down on her like a ton of bricks. “I’ll explain everything once you get down here. I,” Aqua paused. “I just need to rest. Okay?” 

Terra cleared his throat. “Alright. Get some rest, Blue. I’ll be down within the next few hours.” he said, softer. “I love you. I hope you know that.” 

That stung. Aqua’s words got lodged in her throat, and she attempted to clear the blockage. She couldn’t. The guilt was too great. “I’ll never forget that, I love you too. Stay safe, and I’ll see you later.” she said, shifting in her seat. Aqua set the phone back on the base, falling back onto the soft bedding, and stared deep into the ceiling. It eased her conscience that Xemnas was safely back in the states, but she was nowhere near ready to confront him about trying to assassinate her. It was a weird topic, and a very touchy one at that. She resented the day when it would come.

Somewhere between worrying about her confrontation with her brother-in-law and calming her excitement to see her husband, she drifted off to sleep.

\---

Dreams never graced Aqua’s sleep anymore. Sleeping became a dull period of time where nothing but darkness met her eyes, and on very rare occasion she even had a nightmare. Her senses (all but sight, clearly) remained very awake during her sleep, and after what felt like ten minutes, cologne and sweet-smelling flowers overwhelmed her. Something pressed against her lips, then quickly left. 

Aqua tossed and turned in bed, opening her eyes after her leg fell over the side of the bed. She shot up out of her seat, meeting the eyes of her husband’s, who stood at the table. Terra gave her a worried smile, stepping over to her side. He reached out, pulling her up into a long intended hug. Aqua shifted her weight, resting her head against his chest and closed her eyes. Tears picked at the back of her eyes, but she did not understand why she was so emotional to see him again. 

“I missed you, Terra. It feels like it’s been months since I’ve seen you.” she said, turning her head up to face him. He nodded, leaving a kiss on her forehead. 

Terra’s scent pulled Aqua into a period of silence, and she closed her eyes to pluck the memories associated with the smell. She imagined the house up north, spending her days working with family and friends on the business, playing with her daughter, and resting at night with her husband before bed. Her daydreams ended faster than she had hoped, and she was thrown right back into reality. Aqua tilted her head to the side, blinking slowly from the rush of exhaustion that seeped back into her skin. 

Her husband admired her expression gently brushing his hand against her cheek. “You look upset. Is everything okay?” he asked. 

Shame poured into her heart. “Yeah, I’m alright. The trip was just…” Aqua trailed off, shaking her head. “A lot different than I thought it was going to be.” She sighed. The pain in her heart from lying to him made her want to double over in agony. She never lied to him about anything…

“What all happened down there? Xem told me that the Revolution is what prompted your return.” Terra sat her down on the bed, resting beside her. 

Aqua frowned, and gathered all of her energy to tell him everything that happened to her (not everything, obviously, but enough for him to understand her frustration). The explanation took longer than she wanted, and Terra was clearly overwhelmed by all of the information. Aqua specifically left out all of her interactions with her brother-in-law, her call with Lea, and the affair. Keeping things from Terra made her feel like the bad guy. She imagined what would happen if the truth did slip out. That was a life she wouldn’t want to live in. Aqua abused her power and hurt Terra. She hurt him terribly. 

Terra raised his eyebrows. “Aqua, I don’t know what to say. I’m beyond upset.” he said, crossing his arms. “I can’t fucking _believe_ that that Fierte son of a bitch would try to have you killed! What a disgrace of a human being.” 

Aqua shrugged. “Honestly Terra, at this point I’m not surprised at how many people want me dead. This is just a risky business to be in. For seven years now, I’ve tried to legitimize our name, but my attempts keep failing.” she sighed, turning her head away. She stood up, beginning to pace around in frustration. Her eyes found the clock beside the bed. It read 2:45 AM. 

“You’re not alone in this, Aqua. Lea, Isa, Xem, and I all are here to help you. This isn’t something you can all solve by yourself.” Terra replied, watching her closely while she maneuvered around. 

She cringed when he mentioned his brother. Aqua sighed, again. “Honey, I know you’re here to help me.” she nodded, pausing to look at him. Her arms crossed. “You’ve been doing so much more than I could ever ask.” Once she finished, her eyes fell back to the floor. 

Terra reached for his glass on the side table and swallowed down the drink. He grimaced, extending his arm to observe the carving on the side of the glass. Terra shook his head. “Well, I’d hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I feel as if we should shift our topic of conversation,” he stopped for a moment, pulling himself off the bed. He bit his cheek, stepping over to the wet bar to fill his glass back up. 

Silence ripped into the room, and it unsettled Aqua. Her arms settled back down at her sides. A hand fidgeted with the tie on her robe, and her teeth chewed on the already raw flesh of her cheek. Aqua blinked, nervously awaiting what he was going to say. _How did he find out? Xemnas would never have told him!_ She thought, noticing her senses shift into fight or flight mode. To her own husband.

“A Senate committee focused on organized crime has targeted us. They’re investigating us as we speak, and have developed a hearing.” Terra cleared his throat, turning on his heel. He noticed the pale and sick expression on his wife, and he quickly came to her aid. “Aqua, you look terrible! Are you alright?!” he asked, sitting her down on the bed. He pressed his lips to her forehead to check her temperature, and he discovered that she was fine. 

Aqua nodded, blinking away the screaming thoughts in her head. She faced Terra, smiling softly. “I-I’m sorry, I got a little overwhelmed.” she said, running a hand through her hair. A drop of sweat fell from her forehead. Aqua observed the puffiness and redness of her husband’s eyes, evidence to a lack of sleep. His typical bright ocean-blue irises sparkled, but Aqua saw less sparkle and more shadow.

Terra didn’t believe her, wrapping her in a protective hug. He kissed the top of her head, taking a deep breath. “Aqua, did something happen in Cuba?” he worried, settling his head on top of hers. Aqua rested her head against his chest in response. 

“I already told you everything--” 

“I can’t help but feel that you’re hiding something from me. You’ve always been terrible at lying to me.” Terra blurted, loosening his grip around her to lock eyes with her. 

The azure woman slowly shook her head. Her eyes didn’t leave his, not once. Words slammed against the tight seal of her lips, but they didn’t dare come out. She watched as his gaze dropped to the floor, and she snaked a hand behind his head, fingers mingling with his brown locks. A very small smile found its way to Aqua’s lips, and she leant in to leave a kiss on his jaw. He reciprocated, peppering her cheek and neck with kisses. 

Aqua played with his hair, wrapping her other arm around his waist. She tilted her head to the side so he could continue, her desires nowhere near satisfied. Her eyes left open were stuck to the open window blowing in a breeze, and the deep red curtains dancing in the wind. The smile no longer pulled on her lips, and she sat in a moment of silence. Her mind flew with questions against herself, asking why she cheated, why she thought it would satisfy her, and why she ever believed it could ever last. That one night could never add up to the happiness and love that she shared with Terra.

They were returning home the next day, and Xemnas waited up in Washington for them. Aqua didn’t let her anxiety get the best of her. She let the anger flood her heart, words already building up to prepare her for one of the hardest moments in her life. Betrayal against the family almost always ended in death, at least, that’s what happened when her father was in charge. Yet Aqua was starting to understand that she and her father shared more characteristics than she wished. The more she aged, the further her actions resembled that of Eraqus’. 

Aqua pulled herself back into the moment with Terra, and she settled back to find his eyes. Her hands pressed against his cheeks, carefully tracing his lips with her thumb. She rested her forehead against Terra’s, and she closed her eyes. 

_“I’ll always love you, Terra.”_

\-----

Aqua and Terra returned home, flying back and landing before noon. The press awaited them at the airport, hounding Aqua with dozens of questions dating back to her catalyst event of murdering the officer and mobster in Los Angeles. She was shoved into the back of a car by Terra once they reached the gate, and then he stuffed himself inside after running around to help the guards toss belongings into the trunk. 

It was a long tremulous drive back to the residence, and the very moment they pulled into the gates of the driveway, Aqua felt her position as head of the family return. She exited the car, being greeted in a hug by her daughter. Aqua picked her up, kissing her cheeks and squeezing her tight in the hug. Lorelei’s bubbly and cheerful demeanor filled the empty hole in Aqua’s heart, and she cried. 

The tears ran down Aqua’s cheeks in relief and overwhelming guilt. She was overjoyed to see her daughter, even if it was a month separated from her, but recognizing the unchanged and blissful innocence of Lorelei’s life filled her with guilt. Once Aqua set her back on the ground, Xemnas emerged from the front door, and she ignored him, wiping her tears away. Lea and Isa also greeted her, sharing a few words together before heading inside the house. 

Aqua saw her mother, aged much more than she remembered, and talked with her about the trip to Cuba. Her mother seemed to have trouble following her as she spoke, but Aqua dismissed it as nothing. Lea exchanged a few looks with his sister while she settled back in, sharing lunch with the family she missed. Not once did she speak or even look to Xemnas. After the meal, Lea pulled Aqua aside in the study. 

“I need to be on the same page with you, Aqua. What are you going to do with Xemnas?” he asked, speaking in a rushed whisper.

Aqua crossed her arms, uncomfortable with the situation. “I’m confronting him tonight. I’ll ask him to meet me in the study, but I need you to divert the family. This house is much too old and if I raise my voice, anyone will hear me. Can you do this for me?” she replied. Her eyes fell to the floor. 

Lea bit his cheek, glancing at the shelves in thought. “How long do you need?” His head turned down. 

“I don’t know. At least an hour.” Aqua sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She shook her head, returning her arms to her side. “Xemnas needs to understand the severity of his situation. It might get ugly, who knows.” 

He raised an eyebrow, meeting her eyes in a confused manner. “You aren’t going to resort to violence, are you?” Lea said, a quick flame of concern lighting in his chest. “You said it yourself, Aqua he’s still--” 

Aqua narrowed her eyes, interrupting him. “Family doesn’t kill one another in a deal with the enemy.” she snapped, stepping away from her brother. Her hands balled into fists, and she exhaled in a calming matter. “Just… get everyone out of the house, please.” Aqua’s eyes closed, and she faced the wall in an attempt to dissolve her frustration. 

Lea remained quiet for a moment, absorbing everything she asked of him. Then he nodded in response, pulling a cigarette and a lighter from his inner pocket. He lit the tobacco, taking a long drag, then exhaling. Smoke billowed out from his mouth and encircled their conversation. Lea returned the lighter to his pocket, and walked past Aqua to the door. He had not smoked in years, going as far back when they still lived in California. 

“You might want to keep your anger in check, Aqua. It’s enveloping you, just like it enveloped our father.” Lea stuck the cigarette back in his mouth, reaching for the doorknob. “Everyone will be out of the house within the next hour. And I’ll leave the details with Dilan so he knows what’s going on.” he said, leaving the room and closing the door behind himself. 

Aqua sat on Lea’s bitter words, and she almost choked in the strong cloud of smoke from his cigarette. She walked to her desk, catching a glimpse of the children playing in the backyard before simmering down in her chair. All of her courage seemed to have fled from her heart. The ticking of the clock and the hum of children’s laughter sank deep into her subconscious. Maybe she was over thinking things?


	5. A Real Glimpse of Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Confrontation ain't nothing new to me...**

Aqua stood by the window, her hands carefully folded over her stomach, and her eyes glued to the cars that took her family out to town. The very moment they exited the gate, her heart started to beat with a quick pace, and carried tune into her eardrums. Her nerves were getting the best of her, sweeping her high off the ground in a frightening attempt to scare her. This feeling was reminiscent to the night she killed two men in a restaurant in Beverly Hills. She despised it. 

In the high that her senses carried her on, she faced the door, hearing the very click of the latch open with the visitor entering. Aqua found her moment of opportunity, meeting the very same pumpkin-orange eyes that whisked her into an act of adultery, and she frowned with such displeasure that Xemnas’ own expression morphed into concern. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it like he lost the words. 

Aqua stood tall, swallowing hard. “Do you know why I’ve called you here, Xemnas?” she asked him, the tone of her voice was similar to the calm before a storm. Her question clearly rose confusion in Xemnas, and he did not respond right away. She took it for ignorance. 

“I do not know why you have summoned me.” he replied, shifting his eyes to the ground. Xemnas stood between the two armchairs, and he rested his hand on the wing of one. Aqua lowered her eyebrow. 

“Three months ago, on a quiet night, quite similar to this one, my husband and I were the victims of an assassination attempt. You remember it well, I trust?” Aqua said, remembering that night and all of the trauma sealed behind it. “My husband, your _brother_ and I, your close sister-in-law, were almost murdered in our bedroom. Does this sound familiar, Xemnas?” she said, emphasizing her words. 

Xemnas did not reply. He stood solemnly at the woman’s poisonous words. Aqua grit her teeth, squeezing her hands hard. She moved around her desk to meet her brother-in-law’s front. Xemnas held his ground. 

_”In my home, where I’ve raised my child! Where she plays with her cousins and lives her days!”_ Aqua bellowed, blinking quickly to dismiss the strain of tears behind her eyes. She fought the desire to raise her hand against him, her muscles crying under the pain of keeping the hands at her side. She needed to leave this confrontation as civil as possible.

Xemnas swallowed. “I never wanted to hurt you or my brother--” 

“Then what did you mean to do?! Tell me!” Aqua screamed. 

His eyebrow twitched at the volume of her voice. “I was fulfilling an order from a client, I didn’t look hard enough into the details…” he trailed off, glancing away. 

Aqua quickly raised her hand, slapping him hard against the cheek. He recoiled, keeping his head lowered after her attack. “Bullshit, you liar!” she shook her head. “Do you know the severity of what you’ve done?” she asked. 

Xemnas stood up straight, clearing his throat. A bright searing mark glowed on his cheek, evidence of Aqua’s forceful slap. He closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. Aqua bared her teeth in anger and she crossed her arms, stepping away from him. A sharp pain resonated in her chest, and she gripped at the front of her shirt, just over her heart. It caused her to reach out and lean against her desk in support. Her breath hitched, the grip on her shirt tightened, and she caught a wave of nausea. She slowly raised her eyes back to his form. Another rippling pain surged into her heart, and she grimaced. The discomfort was too much. She winced, turning her head from Xemnas. The very last thing she needed to see was his pity for her.

“Why did you do it?” she asked, simply. 

“Like I said, Aqua, it was never my intention. I never wanted to disrespect and shatter a strong bond between our families. Our relationship and your high regard of family pleased me, it made me feel like I was a part of an actual family… not a just band of assassins.” Xemnas’ eyes didn’t leave the floor. He shifted in place, eventually glancing up at his sister-in-law. 

Aqua let out a pitiful laugh, shaking her head in disbelief. Her hand raised up to her mouth, and she choked back another laugh. “What if my daughter had been in the fire?” she said, her eyebrow twitching. Her eyes were again, locked on her brother-in-law’s, and he responded by taking a step away. He frowned, lowering his brow. 

Xemnas took a deep breath, pulling his hand up to his mouth to cover it. Before speaking, he closed his eyes for a moment. “I would not know what to do, Aqua. Lorelei means too much to me--” 

“Shut your mouth.” Aqua demanded, her eyes wild with fury. “If she really meant something to you Xemnas, then you wouldn’t have tried to kill me. Or your brother.” She flared her nostrils, balling her fists. “And you know damn well that I’d hunt your ass _down_ if your man killed my daughter.” 

He shook his head, biting his lip. “I would never accept to murder a child, Aqua! Who the hell do you think I am?” Xemnas scoffed. He threw his hands to his sides, stepping back to pace the length of the two chairs, back and forth.

Aqua didn’t respond right away, pausing for a moment to stare him down. Her lips curled to a vicious frown, and her visage shifted to a grim and frightening sight. There was no more playing around. The anger burned off of her, she was enraged. 

“I thought you would be the man who would be the last one to betray my trust, and betray my family.” Aqua growled, raising her eyebrows in displeasure. He stopped dead in his move, tensing up with his back facing her. “I believed once that you could’ve been the godfather of my daughter, and I believed that you would serve this family well. But I had hoped wrong.” 

The storm had come upon him. Xemnas looked over his shoulder, half of his face remained hidden behind his hair, and just his eyes were visible. He watched on in anxiety, fearful for what his powerful sister-in-law was to do with him. For a very brief moment, he considered coming forward for why he really sent the assassin, but he understood that now she wouldn’t believe him. The flame and fury in Aqua’s current disposition shot fear into his heart, and he thought it to be similar to the rumors of her late father’s mood when he was betrayed. Only the closest to Eraqus had the opportunity to witness his rage, one being his stepson, Lea. He was afraid to even make a sound.

“Was it strange having sex with the very woman you’d expected to be dead? Was I a good fuck?” she hissed. Some of that pent-up guilt in her heart was able to escape, but even she knew that she could not blame only him for that night in Cuba. “I still do not know what overcame me on that night, and it was wrong for me to ever _think_ of doing something like that as a married woman.” she said, averting her eyes far from his form. A little bit more of the guilt steamed out of her heart for admitting her mistake, but anger still soared high in her soul.

Aqua dipped her head down, staring deep into the carpet. Even she realized that it was low to attack him like that. She slowly moved over to the window, raising her head to find a guard patrolling the lawn and driveway. Light from the overhead fixture bounced against the window, and the sun lowered into the horizon as night approached. Her eyes flashed to see her brother-in-law’s reflection in the window pane, and she pulled the curtain aside to hide it from her sight. The silence in the room was so thick that it could be cut with a knife. It was time to end their corrupt relationship.

“I’m disowning you and discluding you from my family, Xemnas.” Aqua breathed, coldly. She turned on her heel, watching as his shoulders fell, and his hand reach out to grip the back of the chair he stood beside. The woman buttoned the front of her suit jacket, smoothing down the pockets, and brushing the front clean with her hands. She didn’t feel bad. The stabbing heat of her fury simmered away, and she became rather blase. Deep in her heart, a tiny trickle of pain poked at her, but she forced herself to continue. 

“I have no choice but to exempt you from every future event with my family. You will not be allowed to see my daughter, nor my niece or nephew. If you wish to confer with your brother, you must do it here at the estate,” 

Xemnas shook his head at the terms, opening his mouth and interrupting her. “Aqua, please don’t do this to me--”

Aqua ignored him, speaking over his request. “Where you will be monitored by my men during your stay. You are not allowed to bring guests with you, and I refuse to have you stay in the same house as me.” she said, sharing a look with him. “If you tell anyone of this, I can assure you that it will lead to the consequence of death. Do you understand?” 

The man’s head fell back, and his eyes glazed over. He scoffed, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. The words were in his throat, they _were_ there, but he couldn’t speak. Aqua waited patiently, crossing her arms. 

“My heart is broken, Xemnas, and this isn’t an easy thing to do.” 

Xemnas cleared his throat, nodding gently. “I understand, Aqua. You shouldn’t have needed to make this decision, and your choices are reasonable. I’m sorr--” 

Aqua grit her teeth, shaking her head. “Don’t you dare give me your pity. An apology doesn’t apply for trying to kill me and my family.” she hissed. “An apology will never suffice.” 

The man took a deep breath, shifting the weight between his feet. He glanced at Aqua, then back to the floor. Silence flooded into the room, and Aqua turned away from him, looking back out the window. She crossed her arms. 

In one last attempt to face her guilt, she looked at Xemnas one last time. Her eyes ached from repressing the tears. Her chest burned. She bit her lip, involuntarily quirking an eyebrow. "I loved you, Xemnas." she whispered. He was shocked, and Aqua immediately faced the window before giving in to his pain. She cleared her throat. Another terrible moment of silence passed through the room.

“You can leave now.” she said firmly. 

Xemnas didn’t say a word, gathered himself, and left the room. As the door clicked shut, the adrenaline high that carried Aqua this far abruptly ended, and she had to lean against the wall in support. Her legs wobbled, her brain whirled along like lightning, and she slowly sank down to the floor. She pulled her hands to her face and closed her eyes, leaving reality for a moment. The very next day would be the first day of her hearing in front of the US Senate committee who was investigating her business. 

Emotionally, Aqua was a mess. She was depressed, worried about the safety for her family, and exhausted from the mess of events taking place. She would do anything to go back to the day where she killed those men, nearly a decade ago, and stop herself from thrusting herself into this terrible life. Her brother Aeleus would still be alive, and so would her father. Aqua lowered her hands back at her side, sighing slowly. 

\---

At precisely nine in the morning, Aqua filed into a car with her brother Lea and his partner Isa. Terra sat in the front seat, beside Dilan who was going to drive, and every so often he would look back at Aqua out of worry. The couple trusted Aqua’s mother in charge of the children. A courtroom was a place where children should not be, and Aqua didn’t want Lorelei to see her as a criminal. 

They arrived at the Capitol downtown in less than no time, and the media hounded the front steps. As Aqua climbed out of the car, she took a deep breath, and Dilan and another guard stood around her and pushed through the crowd. Flashes popped, people asked questions, and film was rolling. This hearing had become an even bigger deal than Aqua had hoped. When she reached the front door, she held out her hand for Terra to take, and he did gladly. 

Terra was not a fan of publicity or crowds of any form. He never would speak on behalf of the family, and would never willingly engage in conversations with strangers. The time he spent working with Xehanort had little to no physical contact with any contract, but on very rare occasion would he ever have to kill someone with his hands. Terra developed a hatred for murder and death after he had to do it one-too-many times. Hearing things about his wife trying to be killed infuriated him, and he would go out and find the son of a bitch responsible, but it would take more will than he had. Terra enjoyed working from home, and he absolutely loved nothing more than his daughter Lorelei. They had a strong relationship, and Terra hoped for a future away from the dangers of his life for Lorelei. He valued her safety and Aqua’s safety over his own, and would easily trade his life for theirs any day. 

Aqua recognized the tension in Terra’s expression as they walked to the courtroom. He moved stiffly, but tried to hide his anxiety the closer they came to the room. She squeezed his hand, exchanging a small smile with him. Relief flooded over her as she shared a glance with him, and she realized that there would never be anyone else who would care about her this much. Terra came out of his comfort zone to join her at this first hearing, just to be here with her, and Aqua appreciated every second of having him at her side. 

Lea and Isa had walked ahead of them, opening the doors to the hall where the hearing was scheduled, and immediately once Aqua took a step into the room, camera flashes popped and people cried out questions. She was pulled up to the front of the room by Lea, and gathered her senses at the defendants table. Aqua turned around, finding Terra right behind her at the seating for family members. The maximum capacity of people in the room was overfilled, definitely, and it was due to all of the reporters and journalists crammed in the very back of the room. A few people from Aqua’s old contract studio were gathered in a small group, probably to offer support to the woman. Her old agent from her days as a child actress sat with them, waving when they met eyes. 

Only a few more minutes remained before the beginning of the hearing, and the room got eerily quiet as the prosecution entered from a door beside their table. First, the tall, slim, and blonde woman, Larxene, stepped inside. She wore an expensive fur coat, removing her hat as she maneuvered to the seating for the audience. Aqua shared a look with her, staring deep into the enemy’s vibrant emerald-green eyes. Larxene smiled, looking away. Following Larxene, came a man who Aqua did not recognize, and she assumed it was their lawyer, because behind him in tow was Marluxia. The man was taller than Aqua remembered, and his hair was a darker pink. Considering the last time she saw either Larxene or Marluxia, it was nearly a _decade_ ago at her father’s funeral. Aqua calmly turned away, instead observing the number of US Senators gathered at a long table before the entire room, and they all talked amongst themselves, occasionally sharing a glance with Aqua or the others at her table. 

Lea and Isa sat down, and after another moment, Lea tapped on Aqua’s shoulder, pointing to Terra behind her. Aqua turned around, watching as Kairi and Ventus quickly found their seats beside their brother before the hearing began. She smiled, waving in response to them. 

“Ladies and gentlemen of the court, we are ready to begin.” said an older senator, sitting at the far right end of the table. Aqua quickly found her place, remaining calm and unaffected by the overwhelming surroundings. Isa pulled out a lovely leather portfolio from his suitcase, uncapping a pen, and neatly set the things before himself. He noticed Aqua looking at him, and all he could do in response was nod confidently. He was always a man of little word, and it was amazing how Lea was compatible with him. It remained a mystery to this day of how the two met in California, but Aqua never asked. 

With the last minute or two before it began, the audience members took their seats, rushing to a silence when a gavel was pounded against the table in the front. A younger-looking Senator in the middle leant to the microphone in front of himself, and glanced between Marluxia and Aqua. The other man beside him whispered something in his ear, and he made no sign of response. 

“Mrs. Aqua Meister-Erde, I believe you are aware of why you were summoned before this Senate here today. Am I correct?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. 

Lea moved the microphone before her, and Aqua observed it before leaning in to answer the senator’s question. “Yes sir. However, I’ve only been made aware that you are investigating my family because you believe I have ties to illegal operations?” she replied, putting on her acting hat. Now was a moment where she knew she could drag them across the floor. They wouldn’t be able to suspect a thing. 

The senator nodded. “Correct.” he said, pausing. He looked down at a paper on the table, then back up at the woman. “Can you please stand for the Sworn testimony?” The senator motioned to a man holding a Bible at the right side of the room, and pointed at Aqua. 

The man carried the Bible over to Aqua, and she stood from her seat, smoothing her skirt. She rested her right hand on the top of the Bible, and then her left over her heart. A small nod gave the senators the “ok” to offer the oath to her. 

A man situated on the far right of the table stood, reading from a paper. “Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?” 

Aqua swallowed, not moving her eyes from the man’s. “I do, so help me God.” And at that very moment, she felt the weight of the world fall on her shoulders. Since she decided to go out with a bang, why not commit a few more sins. 

“You may be seated.” 

She sat back down, folding her hands on the tabletop. Aqua sat with a blank expression plastering her face, and the court scribe furrowed their brow at the strange look. They returned to their work, shifting their eyes between the senators and the audience of the court. The younger senator, restacked his papers, clearing his throat. 

“Let’s jump right into this, shall we?” he says, raising an eyebrow to Aqua. 

She didn’t respond, and the room fell in silence, save the occasional pop from a camera flash. The senator from the far left of the table leant in to his microphone, taking a breath before speaking. “May I call you Miss?” he asked.

Aqua shook her head. “I’d rather you not, please. I am a married woman.” she frowned, sighing. 

The man glanced down the row of politicians, then back to the woman sitting at the defendant's table. His expression morphed and then he flicked his eyes down to the paper in his hands. “Mrs. Meister, your father was reportedly involved in countless crimes during his lifetime, and from various sources in California, we were told that you spent days furthering his work. Are you currently still involved in the illegal distribution and sale of illicit drugs?” he asked, looking at her after reading the question. 

Aqua felt the all eyes of the human race on her, and she forced herself to not break under the pressure. This was an easy question anyway. Her hand reached out and pulled the microphone closer to herself. “No, I never spent one day in the business of drugs. I’m not my father, and he might have been successful but it was never right for him to do any of that.” she explained. At least the truth hadn’t left her yet. She straightened her back, clearing her throat. 

“Have you ever been involved in human trafficking? Specifically with young women or children?” The senator read from his paper. 

The woman’s eyes widened, her eyebrows flying up. “No! I’m offended that you would even ask me that!” she scoffed, shaking her head. After her response, dozens of camera flashes popped again, and quiet chatter rose from the audience seating. A couple of the senators scribbled something down on paper, looking back and forth at each other. 

“Do you have children of your own, Mrs. Meister?” 

She took a deep breath, sighing. “Yes, I have a daughter, and I love her dearly.” Aqua said, watching the senator with a careful gaze. Her lips pulled to a frown. 

The man nodded, settling back into his chair. Another senator, from two seats down grabbed his microphone, setting near his mouth. “Is your child legitimate? Did you bear her with your husband, or is she a love-child?” he asked, raising an eyebrow. People in the audience chattered and snickered, cameras popping. 

Aqua gasped, turning to her brother and Isa, their expressions very close to shock. Isa stood up, taking the microphone from the stand on the table. He glared down the senator responsible for the question. “Excuse me, senator, but what does this have to do with investigating my client for ties to crime? She’s a good woman, she would never disgrace the importance of marriage! On her behalf I will refuse to answer your questions unless they have any meaning to this hearing here today!” he growled. “I believe that Mr. Winston, Marluxia would agree that this is totally uncalled for.” 

Marluxia nodded, reaching for his microphone. “I would agree, yes. This has nothing to do with why you’ve called any of us here today. I may be here to testify against Ms. Aqua, but I know that she values family more than anything. Without a doubt, she would never cheat on her husband.” he explained, calmly. 

The man with blush-pink hair turned to Aqua, exchanging a glance with her. Members of the audience talked amongst themselves, overpowering the politicians at the front of the room who tried to gather order. A gavel beat against the table, and the man holding it stood up. He called for order and silence. Aqua shifted in her seat, still very bothered by the previous question. She glanced back at Terra behind her, meeting eyes with his sister beside him. He was stuck looking at the senator who asked the last question, his eyes dark with silent rage. Kairi sat angrily as well, but she rubbed circles into her older brother’s back, giving a small nod of the head to Aqua. 

Aqua turned back around, staring at the woodgrain in the table. Her mind wandered to how she might go about killing Xemnas, fighting with herself if death would be absolutely necessary. Revenge just so happened to be one of the woman’s strong suits, but it proved difficult beyond all belief when a family member was involved. As she sat in that courtroom, her hands folded over her lap, cameras continued to flash around her and she waited for this to end. Nausea clawed at the sides of her stomach and throat at just the thought of answering a question about an affair. Every day she reminded herself to keep it to herself, but repressing it caused her to be ill. Her anxiety pushed her so far as getting sick at the thought of anyone finding out. She felt slimy, disgusting, and regretted ever going to Cuba. 

\--

A brief press conference followed the first hearing, but Aqua was not present. She hid in a side room, letting Isa speak on her behalf. Terra and his siblings gathered around her, quietly talking about anything else that wasn’t the hearing. Kairi folded her hands over Aqua’s own, smiling softly. Aqua found her sister-in-law’s expression rather calming, and she simmered down in her chair, returning the smile with one of her own. 

Kairi removed one of her hands to brush a strand of hair behind her ear. “Have you ever thought about moving back to California?” she asked quietly. “It’s a changed place now, but I think if you moved back with little Lorelei and your family, it’d be like nothing ever happened. The homes are beautiful, but I guess you already knew that.” Kairi laughed, eyes trailing to her brothers. 

Aqua tilted her head in thought, sighing softly. “I truly do miss California, Kairi, but I’ve fallen in love with the changing seasons here in Maryland. The foliage in the fall, snow in the winter…” she trailed off, eyes falling to the stale carpeting. 

Kairi nodded. “I understand, Aqua. I shouldn’t have asked, I was just curious. You’ve got too much on your plate now. Don’t worry though, Ventus and I will be here to help you through the hearings.” The woman wrapped an arm around her sister-in-law’s shoulders, planting a kiss on her cheek. “And if you want me to go after anyone, I’m here for you.” 

Ven snorted, but Terra shifted in his seat uncomfortably. “I believe that wouldn’t be necessary, Kairi. We haven’t been all too interested in _that_ kind of business lately.” Terra said, coldly. He noticed his sister’s expression melt, and he frowned sadly. “Kairi, I’m sorry… I’m just not in the best mood right now…” 

Aqua observed her husband, understanding how uncomfortable he was from just a _question_ about her having an affair. She now knew he wouldn’t be able to take the truth… if he ever found out. But she reassured herself that he never would discover the truth. The room fell into silence, and she sat uncomfortably with the truth lingering in the pit of her stomach. Nausea started to bubble up again. She just wanted this to be over already. 

\---

Aqua ran her finger around the rim of her glass, swirling the alcohol to each side. She sat on the loveseat sofa in her bedroom, staring deep into the extravagant patterns on the carpet. Her husband undid his tie and cufflinks, tossing them onto the dresser. He carefully rolled up his sleeves, unbuttoning the top of his shirt a bit. Terra sadly turned his head, almost hiding his gaze from his wonderful, strong, courageous wife. Watching her struggle with the government investigating the family and work, he noticed how distant she became, and it upset him. He could only watch from behind the wall that she built up. 

Terra sighed. “I’m sorry about today, Aqua. I didn’t mean to shut down, that damn senator pissed me off!” he growled, looking over his shoulder at her. “I mean how could he ask something like that! What right does he have to ask that?” 

“We should let it go, Terra. He had every right to ask me. Even though it had absolutely nothing to do with the hearing’s main objective. I think they wanted to see me flustered and uncomfortable.” Aqua said, her eyes falling.

Her husband shook his head, facing her. “It’s going to be hard for me to forget something like that! You know how I am, Aqua. I can’t let shit like that go. It didn’t help that there was an unnecessary amount of people there-- I don’t even know how I survived!” He threw his hands up in the air. “I can’t go back there. I just can’t handle it, Aqua.” 

Aqua met his eyes, lowering her brow. “What? Terra, you calmed me down, your presence was enough for me to focus and answer the questions! Who would sit in for you?” she stammered, unnerved for what he could respond with. She was being selfish. Any other time would be completely fine, but now she couldn’t take any risks. 

Terra sighed, running a shaky hand through his hair. “I don’t know! I just can’t go back there, Aqua. I can’t handle the people, it’s too much for me!” he raised his voice, looking deep into his wife’s eyes. Fear crawled up Aqua’s spine, and she found herself remembering the same morbid expression that he once gave her on the day her father was killed. He perfectly replicated it, and she sank into the cushions of the loveseat. 

He turned away from her, lowering his head. His breath hitched, like he was about to break into tears, which was a very rare occurrence. Terra sucked in a deep breath, shaky, but calmed himself down. The way he bottled things up started to tear him apart. “Aqua, I love you _so_ much, and I want to be with you every step of the way… but I just can’t.” he croaked. “Would you be alright if my brother sat in for me? I know he wouldn’t mind.” 

Aqua’s heart pounded. She bit her cheek, furrowed her brow, and shifted in her seat as the anxiety started to swarm around her. The very thought of having Xemnas sitting in the same room as her made her ill. “I don’t think that would be necessary. There’s no need to pull him from his work to join me.” she said, sipping at her drink. Maybe she was being too extreme. 

Terra locked eyes with her. “No, Aqua, please. I want someone to be there for you.” he said, fidgeting with the ring on his finger. Aqua noticed his movement, glancing between his eyes and his hands. “Xemnas is your family, and it’d only be right if he was to be there for you.” 

“Terra, really… it’s alright. I don’t need him to be there. He has nothing to do with this. It would be wrong if he was involved for no reason.” Aqua sighed, calming the unnecessary waves of nausea pounding at the back of her throat. She stood from her seat, maneuvering to the decanter of whiskey across the room. Her glass wasn’t even empty, and yet she poured liquor to an inch from the rim. 

“Why can’t he just come support you in my place?” Terra asked, watching her as she drank more. “Did something happen between you two in Cuba? After you came back, he never wants to see Lorelei anymore, you don’t seem interested in doing anything with him, and he never stays with us anymore! You now drink yourself to sleep every night, even when I beg you not. What happened?!” His hands moved as he spoke. 

Aqua’s eyes flew to her husband’s, and she quickly thought of an answer to act out. Her mind reassured her that nothing was going to happen. “Nothing happened, Terra! I did absolutely nothing to your brother. Maybe he is the one that changed! He and I were perfectly fine in Cuba, we worked together and got things done. I have no idea why he’s been so distant!” she cried, shaking her head. Aqua witnessed Terra’s expression fall. He lowered his eyes, his face darkened, and he offered her a grim visage. She never saw this before, stepping away in an act of panic. 

“If you don’t know why he’s like this, then maybe it would be good if he came in for the hearings. Would you be alright with that, Aqua?” 

She remained silent for a moment, almost afraid to respond. Aqua never feared her husband before, but right now, she was terrified to answer incorrectly. This was an odd situation, and she never felt above or below Terra before. They were always civil towards each other, Her left hand wrapped tightly around her glass, her heel pressed hard into the floor, and her eyes did not move from his own. 

Terra frowned. “Aqua, I’m asking nothing more of you. Please.” he begged, settling his hands at his sides. 

Aqua nodded hesitantly, mimicking her husband’s frown. “Yes. He can sit in my hearings in your place. I’m sorry.” she lowered her voice. 

Terra sighed, turning to the side. His expression faded, he loosened up, and his arms crossed over his chest. He visibly had words gathering in his throat, but his jaw quivered in an odd way that Aqua couldn’t understand. “Why are you apologizing?” he glanced at her. “I just have a feeling that you are lying to me, I don’t want to believe that it’s true. You’d never keep anything from me, right?” 

“Of course not. I would never lie to you.” Aqua replied, too quickly. As if she didn’t already feel slimy enough. She set her glass down on the table, losing her appetite for alcohol. Her eyes fell from his form, and she took a deep breath. Before she was able to commence on any sort of reply to Terra, she was wrapped up in a hug. Hesitantly, she raised her arms around him, resting her muscles that responded in defense. 

Terra buried his head in her shoulder. “I’m sorry, Aqua. I should be the one apologizing for everything. I just feel that everything has shifted since that damn trip.” he mumbled, closing his eyes. “The last thing I want is to lose you.” 

Aqua let the guilt chip away at her heart. “I don’t want to lose you either.” she said. An intrusive thought slipped into her mind, imagining the day when she’d get revenge on her brother-in-law. All of this was wrong. Everything she was doing was wrong. She’d never been this reckless before. She craved nothing more than the order, peace, and simplicity from not even a year ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello all! i was working on something for terra week, but ive been really ill as of the past two weeks! ive only been trying to focus on one thing at a time, and i am actually close to ending part two of this beast! just about two or three more scenes to go, maybe 5k more words, but i am almost there! ill be taking a break between this part and part 3 because i wanna write more shit actually in the kh universe. i miss magic and darkness and writing about battles with dumb key swords.
> 
> writing the disownment scene in this chapter was one of the hardest things that i have ever had to write before. i had no idea how far i wanted to take it, how i wanted aquas character to develop out of the encounter, and how i wanted both aqua and xemnas to interact during the scene. it was difficult to find inspiration from the scene in the godfather pt2 when michael encounters fredo about his wrongdoing. it was difficult because i took aqua and xemnas and developed their relationship to ways that were never originally going to happen. many revisions occured between the original draft of this and the one that i have posted, and there might even be more revisions in the future when i come back to edit all of the mistakes that ive made. anyway this is a fuckin longass AN that was never intended to be this long, but whoops heres how i feel about this. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and I hope to see you in the next chapter! <3


	6. A Pain Sharper than Knives and Hotter than Hell

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> From life, comes death.

**Six Years Ago**

_Pain had begun to slowly subside. Aqua was sweating and heaving in air to her lungs as her baby girl was getting cleaned up by the nurses. Terra sat at her side, tears welling in his eyes as he still held onto Aqua’s hand. He gazed at her, smiling and choking out a sob. They created a life together. That tiny crying baby was their doing. They had become so accustomed to death in their lives, that the powerful and overwhelming joy of life was so fresh and new. The nurse had calmed the little babe and watched her step as she brought her to the parents._

_Aqua reached out to the child, taking it up in her arms and smiling with tears pouring down her face. The little baby slowly moved her head to rest against her mother’s breast. Aqua had let out a chuckle through her tears. She looked at Terra, her smile unable to fade from her cheeks. Terra was also in tears as he stood up to gently hold his child’s tiny, itty-bitty, hand. He was absolutely enamored and fixated on the little human._

_Aqua sniffled, attempting to calm herself. “We did this, Terra,” she bubbled. “we made this little bundle of joy.” She gingerly ran her fingers past the baby’s cheek, the smile still unending. Her eyes trailed up to Terra’s. They exchanged a look that undoubtedly defined their happiness and trust, and it was strong. This was truly the moment where they, still young in age, understood the responsibility and magic of raising a child._

_Terra nodded in response, still speechless from the events of the day. His tears had settled. He looked back down at his daughter. Clearing his throat, he prepared what he was to say. “She’s beautiful.” he croaked, causing Aqua to laugh from the hoarseness of his voice. He smiled again._

_“Do you have any ideas for her name?” Terra asked, shifting his eyes back up to Aqua’s._

_The blue woman shook her head. “I was too overwhelmed with labor and giving birth that I hadn’t given it much thought, except for my intention of it being a family name. Do you have any ideas?” she sighed._

_Terra fell to silence, letting go of the tiny hand of his child to move around the hospital bed. He observed his daughter from every angle possible. His hand was clamped over his mouth in thought. He began to pace back and forth. Aqua watched his strange method of thinking, imagining if this was how he always thought of something serious. She had never seen him do this before. Terra was in a deep meditation. Nothing swayed him, not even the nurse who came back to take the baby to be weighed and dressed in a diaper._

_Aqua wiped the sweat from her forehead with a towel beside her bed, waiting patiently for either the last stage of childbirth to occur, or Terra to eagerly reveal the possible name of their child. She folded her hands over her blanketed lap, turning her head to watch her husband continue his charade. “You are certainly thinking this through,” Aqua chuckled. Terra was truly filing through every name possible and determining if it would suit their child. He glanced at Aqua, nodding in response to her statement._

_”I want it to be perfect for her...” he paused, returning to the chair beside his wife. Terra simmered down, reaching over to take Aqua’s hand. “There really is nothing more rewarding than this feeling I have right now, I mean, we are parents now. That’s incredible!” The positivity in his voice was overflowing. Aqua squeezed his hand, smiling at his comment._

_The nurse returned with the newborn, giving her back to Aqua. Little hands grasped in the air, searching for something to wrap their fingers around. Aqua laid the child on her chest. “She’s wonderful…” she murmured, placing a soft kiss on the baby’s head._

_Terra once again became fixated on his child, and Aqua assumed he was still running his brain endlessly to find the best name. He had moved his chair closer. The newborn resting gave Aqua such a serene peace, a sense of mind where she could have a future perfect enough to safely raise this little girl. Every detail of the room became catalogued in her memories, and Aqua hoped that she would never forget this moment. Her gaze fell back to Terra and she smiled._

_“Lorelei.” Terra said. He locked eyes with Aqua and reached for her hand. “Aqua, I think Lorelei should be her name.”_

_Aqua mulled over the name. Since she couldn’t think of anything better than that, she nodded. It was a beautiful name. A warm feeling overcame the new mother, her lips curling to a smile, and she believed this moment couldn’t be anymore wonderful. Aqua’s heart fluttered in pure bliss._

_”Lorelei is magnificent.” Aqua mused, looking back to Terra. “How did you think of it?”_

_Terra chuckled, slightly puzzling Aqua. “I think it was my mother's name,” he explained. “I don’t remember a whole lot about her, but I do remember seeing a photograph with a few names written on the back, dated 1923, two years before I was born. The name Lorelei was written on the back of the picture, and if I wasn’t able to know my mother, I’d like to honor her by keeping the name in the family.” Terra finished, his eyebrow pinching together._

_Aqua was stunned. During the past years that she’s known Terra, he had never mentioned anything about his mother. Regardless, Aqua stretched her arm to run her hand against his cheek. She comforted him. Terra kissed the palm of her hand, grinning as he noticed small Lorelei stretch her chubby arms out, grazing Aqua’s chin._

_Aqua held back a laugh. She could feel the tiny beat of the child’s heart against her own. The endorphins rushed from her brain and she had the sudden urge to protect her child from any harm. Aqua had heard of mothers having connections with their children, and she believed this was that very feeling. Mentally, she made a promise to herself, a pact to separate Lorelei from her work._

_Aqua assured herself that nothing would come between her and her child. Lorelei would always be first._

\--

Roaring chatter snapped Aqua from her daze, and she blinked a few times to gather her surroundings. The month had flown by, and she was back in the courtroom with the rowdy crowd and intrusive senators. However, the room had a completely different feeling to it, as Xemnas sat merely feet away from his sister-in-law, minding his own business, but added a mountain of fury onto Aqua’s shoulders. She remained restless, picking at the cuticles on her fingers, or grabbing at the hem of her sleeves. Xemnas’ presence tore the safety from Aqua’s heart. Never did she feel settled or okay as long as he was around her. 

A senator tapped the head of a microphone. He cleared his throat. “We are going to begin. Mrs. Meister, please rise for the Sworn testimony.” 

Aqua stiffly rose from her seat, shuffling like she was encased in ice. A shaky hand rested on the Bible, and the other settled over her heart. Her eyes flew to the Senators, impatiently waiting for their word. One of the men shifted in place, noticing her abrasive look. 

“Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?” he said, clearing his throat. 

The woman nodded, taking a deep breath before replying to the testimony. “I do.” she announced, clearly. Her heart pounded, and a sharp, white-hot, rip of pain ran right through her organ, causing her face to distort and her hand to grip at the clothing on her chest. This wasn’t the first time that this happened, and she assumed this wouldn't be the last. 

“Please be seated.” The senator told her, witnessing as her visage morphed. He glanced down the row of men, curious if they observed the same event. A few others looked back at the crowd, and then to the senator beside themselves. 

Aqua forced herself to calmly step back to her seat, removing her hand from her chest. She fell back into her chair, gripping at the side of the table in an attempt to ease the pain. Lea set a hand on her shoulder, leaning over to speak to her. She turned to look at him, shifting to a normal expression as the discomfort flew from her body the very moment she met eyes with him. 

“Are you alright?” Lea asked, quickly glancing at the people around them. “Are you sick?” 

“No, no. I’m fine. Just a cramp is all.” Aqua replied softly, offering him a reassuring smile. She in fact, had no clue why she was in pain. It had been months since she last saw her doctor, and this pain happened so infrequently that she believed it to be nothing. Only now, as she sat before the world, did she worry about what the real issue might be. 

Aqua straightened her posture, resting against the back of her chair. She urged herself to be calm down, and glanced up at the senators in front of her. Her hands folded over her lap in a quick motion, and her heart rate began to settle. A younger senator cleared his throat, leaning to the nearest microphone. 

“Ladies and gentlemen of the court, we will now hear from a member of the prosecution, Marluxia Winston. He will testify to Ms. Meister’s involvement in the 1949 shooting of two dear family members.” he said, looking across the room to the flush-haired man. 

Aqua shook her head, quickly turning to Isa and Lea for advice of any kind. Her head whipped the other way, making a pinned curl in her hair fly out. The strand of hair bounced in front of her forehead. Marluxia slowly rose from his seat, eyeing Aqua as he walked around to take the Sworn testimony. The frail man holding the bible returned, raising it for Marluxia. 

“Mr. Winston, do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help you God?” asked the senator. 

Marluxia nodded, his lips falling to a strong solid line. “I do, sir.” he promised, clearly pronouncing each vowel and consonant in a way the Aqua had never heard before. She lowered her head, staring deep into the woodgrain of the table. 

“You may be seated.” 

A murmur rose in the crowd as the pink man returned to his seat. The moment he was seated again, the whispers diffused into the awkward courtroom tone. The court scribe tapped away quickly at the typewriter, not failing to keep her eyes off the keyboard. Silence crawled through the room, and a few camera flashes popped. 

The young senator moved a few papers around on his table, holding one up to read. “Mr. Winston, why do you believe Mrs. Erde had a part in these murders?” he asked, folding his hands. 

Marluxia leant over to his lawyer, whispering something to him before reaching for the microphone. He focused right on the senator who asked the question. “I don’t believe she murdered them, nor do I believe that she hired anyone to murder them for her own benefit.” he paused, glancing at the floor. Chatter from the audience quickly rose up. “I _know_ she murdered them. Sir, I have no doubts. Aqua Meister is guilty.” he stated, strongly. 

The rose-pink man looked to his lawyer. His lawyer grabbed the microphone, situating it in his hands carefully. “Senators, on the late autumn night, November twentieth, the then Ms. Meister and my client’s brother went out for dinner. She proceeded to be the only one to leave that dinner.”

“How do you know it was Aqua Meister that killed those men? At the time we all know she was a successful film star!”

Marluxia’s lawyer grew silent for a moment, glancing down at a paper on the tabletop. “Everyone in Hollywood in the year 1949 knew that these two families had bad blood between them. It was undoubtedly the reason why Ms. Meister went after the men! She then proceeded to flee the country for months on end! To a town in Belgium!” said the lawyer, sweat pouring from his balding forehead. 

Isa shot out of his seat, slamming his hand on the tabletop. “Objection!” he cried, flaring his nostrils in frustration. His eyes putted back and forth between the man attacking Aqua and the senators. The crowd lost it, loudly talking and shouting in the back, and the oldest senator on the row pounded a gavel against the maple longtable. 

Another man in the committee rose an eyebrow, waiting patiently for the audience to calm down before speaking. “Accepted, proceed.” 

“My client did not _flee_ from the country. Days before Mrs. Meister’s departure, she finished production for her film _Ms. Destiny_ and she usually went on vacations after productions. Frequently, her contract owner would warrant her use of vacations, as she spent nearly all day and night at the studios or filming locations to perfect her work. In other words, the more profit gained from her films, Mr. Ansem D.i.Z, her former contract owner, would allow her to take month long breaks out of the state or country.” Isa explained, standing up straight. His hands balled at his sides, and he glanced down at Lea. “If it is evidence you want, the man is here. Mr. D.i.Z came of his volition, and was not sent for. My client hasn’t seen him since her wedding day, nearly eight years ago.” The blue-haired man turned halfway, pointing back in the audience to an older man near the wall of reporters. It was indeed Aqua’s old contract owner, and she gaped at his presence. 

Marluxia furrowed his brow, consulting his lawyer. Larxene’s cheeks puffed in anger, a cherry-red flush overtaking her fair complexion. The senators spoke to one another, banging the gavel on the table again, calling for order. 

The senator called the tycoon film studio owner to the front, had him profess to Sworn testimony, then offered him a microphone for his account. Mr. Ansem D.i.Z gladly took the microphone in hand, shifting in place. “Aqua frequented Belgium for her vacations, but I know nothing about a city called Ostend. She was a prized part of my studio, so I catered to her wishes, giving her months, even a year at one point, for time to revitalize and rejuvenate her acting prowess. We all know how successful she was then, those ten years ago, and I refused to have her work endlessly. She is the reason my studio still thrives with success.” he testified. 

“Did she ever encounter any legal trouble before?” a senator questioned. 

D.i.Z exchanged a look with Aqua, shaking his head as he turned back to the committee. “No. She’s a good woman, and she would never mercilessly kill anyone. You speak of her like she is her father.” he scoffed, shaking his head again. “Aqua Meister may share the same name as her father, Eraqus, but she is and was never like him. Eraqus Meister was a crime lord, he and several other families in Los Angeles plagued the city with their own petty feuds. Much like the Montagues and Capulets of Shakespeare, it took death to end the quarrels once and for all.” Ansem sighed.

Not a pin drop could be heard in the courtroom, and it seemed the audience and court lamented on the man’s words. Aqua counted her blessings, silently thanking Ansem for arriving when he did, and folded her hands over her heart. She looked down to Isa, nodding and mouthing a “thank you” to him as well. A rush of relief flooded into her heart and soul, but it was immediately sapped from her as she turned to the crowd and saw Xemnas sitting beside his siblings and whispered to them. Aqua even met his eyes and the white-hot branding of pain returned to her chest. Her hand smacked the center of pain, curling her fingertips and bunching up her blouse in an attempt to claw her agony away, and she started to feel dizzy. She turned back to her brother at her side, noticing her vision blurring. 

The world fell into a frightening pace of slow motion, and Aqua’s nausea punched and kicked against her stomach hard. She couldn’t focus on a single thing around herself as the colors blended and swirled in her vision. She blinked, unable to resolve the strangeness, and soon the tightness and pain surged into her arms and neck. Moments stretched into hours, and the people around her moved at speeds less than a snail’s. They seemed to gather around her, but she didn’t understand. The pain doubled, tripled, and eventually, she couldn’t take it. Her eyes closed. 

Aqua fell out of her chair and onto the floor of the courtroom. Her right hand still gripped at the blouse on her body, and in her unconsciousness, she was trapped in a flood of unresolvable anxiety. This was it. She was going to die, writhing on the floor of a courtroom, as the entire country watched. Somewhere in the unbelievable pain, she simmered into the comfortable darkness that bubbled around her. 

\-- 

From the horrible nightmare of plaguing darkness, Aqua awoke with a fright, squeezing the sheets and comforter of a hospital bed. Her eyes flew around the room, unable to see much of anything in the pitch-black of night. A sour taste tickled the back of her throat, and then it grew bitter and disgusting. She lurched forward, tugging at the PICC line in her arm, as saliva pooled in her mouth. 

Her hands squeezed the comforter, and she doubled over to the side of the bed, losing whatever was in her stomach. The vomit ran all over the floor, and Aqua moaned in disgust and embarrassment. Her eyelids fell heavily, referencing the approach of exhaustion. She laid back against her pillows and attempted to rid her mouth of the putrid taste. The scent of bile began to fester. It attacked Aqua’s senses, and as disgusting and uncomfortable she became, somehow she was able to fall asleep. In her state of rest, she heard someone enter the room, gasping, and returning to mop up the mess. Not even a moment went by as the light plagued her face. The blinds in the room were pulled back, and the winter sun blasted into the room. 

A bird sang outside, and the morning bustle began in full force inside the hallways of the hospital. Aqua hazily opened her eyes, resting her arm over her stomach. She found a ridiculous number of flowers and get-well gifts piled around the windowsill, and probably a dozen cards stacked meticulously on her bedside table. A dull pain tickled her chest, and as she reached up to rub the sore spot, her PICC line tugged her arm back in place. She rested into the pillow behind her head, fighting with the lull of sleep still pushing at her mind. Before she knew it, she had fallen asleep, and was awoken by a doctor and nurse at her side. 

Aqua sat up, extending her arm for the doctor so he could take her blood pressure. The doctor checked her eyes and heartbeat, mumbling to the nurse about something. He then spoke to Aqua about what happened to her, explaining that he was still investigating the issue. The nurse handed her a few pills in a small paper cup, along with some water, and Aqua did as issued. They didn’t go into any further detail or information, and parted, assuring that she would be visited later by more hospital staff and doctors. 

The woman sighed, settling back down into her bed. She reached over to the stack of cards on the bedside table, pulling them from the surface and set them in her lap. Many were inside envelopes, but a few were made of construction paper with stars glued over the cover, glitter pouring out from the fold, and scribbles of marker-drawn borders decorated where the glue did not. Aqua immediately knew this was something Lorelei made for her. She opened the card, dumping the rest of the glitter onto her lap and the other cards, and read the scribbly writing of her daughter’s words. 

In big letters, across the very top of the card said: “I HOPE YOU FEEL GOOD SOON MOMMA.” And underneath it in smaller, sloppy letters read: “Daddy misses you too but I miss you the most.” Below the tender words illustrated one of Lorelei’s adorable drawings; another family photo of her, Aqua, and Terra. The picture was surrounded by another marker-drawn border, this time a criss-crossing pattern. 

Aqua’s lips pulled to a shaky smile, and she ran her fingers over the colorful drawing. She closed the card, setting it at her side. As she flipped through the other cards in the pile, she found one with her name on the outside envelope written in Terra’s handwriting. Hesitantly, Aqua smiled at the cheesy exterior message on the card, then opened it. On the inside left panel of the card, Terra didn’t write a lot. It was a simple extension of his feelings for his wife, a very plain “I love you, Aqua” written with care at the bottom. The expression stood apart from the pre-written greeting of the card, and it moved the woman. She sniffled, overwhelmed at the words from her husband. 

The radio garbled with the tune of a daytime program, and its noise tore Aqua from her moment of depression. Her stomach soured, churning with the undeniable feelings of guilt. The bed felt too soft, the sun was too harsh, and the cleanliness of the hospital air suffocated her. In her moment of reflection, everything was silent and the world froze in place, but she was thrown right from it as she heard the voice of her child bounce through the room. Lorelei ran in, followed closely by her father and other family members, crying out to Aqua as she jumped onto the hospital bed. The little girl wrapped her arms around her mother’s waist, and buried her head in the woman’s bosom. Aqua soothed her child, closing her eyes to cherish this moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this was fun opening up with a flashback! it was originally not there, but I added it later because i thought itd be cute, and a neat transition from the last chapter. overall, this was pretty eventful, not as exciting as the last update, but sudden health issues are always the bomb. (they are in fact not the bomb.)
> 
> I'll be updating this boy 2× a month to get it done before june (hopefully) cause there is not much more for me to write!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and I hope to see you in the next chapter! <3


	7. A Loss That Takes Its Toll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rejection came in full force against Aqua. It burned even more to know that it was from the people she loved most.

A few days later, Aqua was released from the hospital and was ordered to take it easy. The doctors determined that she suffered a heart attack, something that stemmed from her excessive consumption of alcohol. This only limited her to one drink a day. The days at home were getting harder, but it was not due to her health. Her mother was suffering. Doctors came to visit the aging woman every week at the Meister estate, and they would watch as her memories and ability to recognize her children and family faded quicker than the setting sun. 

Aqua identified similar symptoms in her mother months before, but she made nothing of it. She knew her mother was getting older, and it was never surprising for aging people to forget things sometimes, but forgetting simple things like daily tasks or even just her current location was something _much_ more than just aging. Occasionally, the widow would fall into moments of hostility or unexplained happiness, and people living on the Meister estate began to walk on eggshells around her. This illness did not really begin to take its toll on anyone until she could not recognize Lorelei. The poor girl had not an inkling of an idea of why her grandmother suddenly became a stranger. Tears proceeded and the woman’s health became a serious issue. But even then, the problem was not real to Aqua until she had to experience it. 

Aqua sat at her desk in the study, scribbling away on papers that required her attention. She started to hurry halfway through, hoping to finish so she could meet Lorelei after school and do something with her. The grandfather clock’s ticking began to remind her of how she should be working, and every so often she stole a glance at the face to see how long it was taking her. A few more signatures followed, and she finished, organizing the piles of paper on the desktop. 

The azure woman sighed in relief, retreating down to the kitchen. She found Lea and Isa mumbling over paperwork for the upcoming trial in three weeks, and her mother sitting by the window watching as the late March day dragged on outside. Aqua smiled sadly, approaching her mother slowly. She knelt down beside the woman in the rocking chair, maintaining her smile. 

“I have so many plans for the garden in the springtime. Terra and I decided that we will grow a multitude of flowers, but we also hope to plant tomatoes and other fruits and vegetables if the weather permits.” Aqua said, pointing to the several raised planters at the far end of the lawn. She hoped that she was speaking clearly, just so she wouldn’t confuse her mother. 

Aqua’s mother nodded slowly, glancing at her daughter like a stranger. She folded her hands, and closed herself. “My son Lea loves tomatoes. I always liked to tease him when he’d get embarrassed, because he’d get as red as a tomato!” she chuckled, turning to point at Lea and Isa at the kitchen table. “He’s right over there. What a wonderful man.” 

Lea waved, offering a cheesy smile to his very fragile mother. He wearily glanced at Aqua, almost understanding what was to come next. Isa pulled him back into the quiet conversation they shared, and Aqua looked back at her mother rocking along. 

“I know, mama. That’s one of the reasons why we’re planting them!” she replied softly. Her smile faded, and her heart started to beat faster. “Are you feeling alright today?” 

The older woman furrowed her brow, almost as if she was unfamiliar with Aqua calling her by that name. “Oh dear, I’m doing quite fine. Are you feeling well? You’re very kind to come and speak to an old woman like me…” she smiled as she spoke. Her aged and wrinkled hands gently folded over her lap, and her eyes floated back to the window.

Aqua tried to swallow. Her lips quivered at the words that came from her mother’s mouth. The emotions soaring in her heart were unexplainable. Never did she ever think that her own mother, the woman who cared for her all of her life, would not be able to recognize her only daughter. The more Aqua stared at her, she noticed that most of the features that she shared with her mother no longer could be seen. Her mother’s own blue hair had faded to gray, only one or two strands of her long hair remained the cobalt that her daughter wore. The blue of her eyes were now gray from age, not the stunning and sparkling blue that they used to be. It did not matter what her mother looked like, Aqua would always know that she is a part of her life and blood.

“You don’t recognize me?” Aqua said softly, not bothering to fight the tears that overflowed in her eyes. Someone just walked into the kitchen, the soles of their shoes sounded against the tiles. Aqua wasn’t able to look away from the elderly woman in the rocking chair. “Do you know who I am?” 

Aqua’s mother shook her head, staring deep into the woman’s soul. “Did my son hire you to clean around the house? This is a very large home, so you might want to get to work. I don’t think he would like it if you slack off…” she calmly. The words shot right through Aqua like a relentless barrage of bullets. They stung, burned, and physically _pained_ her. Aqua’s mother was known to be quite blunt if she ever needed to, but she never spoke to her children like so. Yet in this moment, the woman had not an idea in her dying brain as to who Aqua was. 

The disbelief and pain folded over onto Aqua like a ton of bricks. She lost her balance, tumbling to her behind on the floor. Her eyes flew over to Lea and Isa sitting at the table, shock covering their previously calm and smiling faces. The expression she wore was one of horror, complete and utter terror. Tears started to bubble at her eyes as she slowly returned her gaze to the woman sitting calmly and staring out the window. 

“You don’t remember me.” Aqua mumbled, grinding her teeth together. “I’m your daughter! You raised me since I was born! How could you suddenly forget something like that?!” she shouted, scrambling to her feet. “How could you?!” she repeated, her voice cracking. 

Aqua’s mother was frightened, her hands folded over her heart. Her daughter’s eyes were wild, and soaked with tears. The woman sat and stared at her, like prey, while Aqua rose above her like the predator ready to kill, but a sort of confidence morphed over the fear laced through the wrinkles formed on her cheeks. That confidence threw Aqua for a complete loop, and she stepped back. 

The elderly woman slowly left her chair, standing before this stranger. “I don’t have a daughter. My husband always wanted sons, and we adopted two. I even have a son who graduated from college and is working extremely hard to build his career as a lawyer. Miss, if you would, please step aside and end your antics.” she said, pulling the ends of her shawl up on her shoulders. 

Aqua croaked, tears pouring from her eyes. She looked across the room to her older brother, finding his hands clasped firmly over his mouth. Then, the gentle grasp of her husband’s touch met her wrist, a sense that she grew so attuned and attached to in the several years of their marriage. Dumbfounded, Aqua turned around and met Terra’s eyes. The words were lodged in her throat, swallowing became next to impossible, and breathing seemed like an inhuman task. Terra held her hand, shifting his gaze up at his mother-in-law, the woman in his life who was always so tender and kind, and whom he considered to be the mother figure that he was never fortunate to have as a child. 

“Aline, Lux wants you in the den.” he said softly, pointing out the doorway in which she should go. Terra glanced at Isa. “Could you take her to the den, Isa?” 

Isa said nothing, nodding in response and got to his feet. He carefully approached Mrs. Meister, smiling gently. “Are you ready to see Luxord, ma’am?” he cooed, like he was speaking to a child. 

Aqua’s mother smiled, giving him a small nod of the head. “Yes, thank you very much, Isa.” she declared, shifting her gaze to Terra, but she glared at the back of her daughter’s head as she faced him. “Thank you, Terra. I’ll see you later at supper.” 

Isa led the woman out of the room, sliding the door shut behind them. Aqua stood silently, tears falling from her eyes, her jaw quivered in debate of grinding her teeth together or not. She hiccuped, and let go. She fell against Terra, bawling into his shirt as a massive wave of emotions pushed over her. Aqua was broken. Her mother proclaiming that she never had a daughter, yet remembered each of her sons, ripped and clawed at the woman’s heart. The fact that elderly woman was capable of recognizing each of her son-in-laws ruined Aqua even more. 

“How could she not remember me?” she mourned, breathing heavily after each time she cried. “I never expected this to happen, I-I can’t believe this.” 

“Aqua, honey, I’m sorry. I don’t know how I can help you. Your mother is just… she’s just…” Terra stumbled over his words, looking to Lea for help. 

Lea sighed, standing from his seat, walking over to his sister’s side. “Aqua, look at me,” he requested. His hands smoothed back the strands of hair that flew away from his hair tie. Aqua slowly faced him, hiccupping and wiping the tears away from her eyes. She frowned, overwhelmed and frustrated with everything that happened only minutes ago.

“Listen, mom is getting up there, and all of the doctors who come by all say the same thing. She’s suffering from a disease called Alzheimer's, which basically eats away at her memories and the majority of her physical and mental abilities.” Lea explained, watching on as Aqua’s expression shifted. “It’s a test of time at this point to see how long she’ll be able to live…” 

“Why haven’t you told me this earlier?! Did you think you were saving me by not saying anything? Lea, for christs sake! Don’t keep me in the dark anymore!” 

Lea bit his cheek, flicking his eyes at Terra, then to the window, and back at his sister. “I was going to tell you Aqua, I’m not a heartless fuck.” he said, somehow maintaining his tone.

Aqua pursed her lips, breathing out her nose. “You just decided to wait until she forgot me.” she spat, stepping away from him. Aqua turned to her husband, blinking away tears that threatened to fall. “Did you know, Terra?” 

Terra’s eyes fell to the ground, and his lips pulled to a frown. “Aqua, I just only found out yesterday when the doctor visited-- I was going to tell you today but it was too late when I saw you in here. I am sorry.” he mumbled, returning his eyes to her as he finished. 

Aqua scoffed, leaning against the kitchen island. She reached up to cover her mouth as she thought about how she was going to respond. Her head shook. “I don’t know what to say. I thought we would all be able to be honest with each other, especially if a member of our family is involved.” she glowered. Right then and there, Aqua realized how hypocritical she had become. She quickly shared a glance with her brother, widening her eyes as Terra shifted in place and withdrew from the conversation. Lea raised his eyebrows, shaking his head at her. He gave Aqua the nastiest look, glancing at Terra. 

“I agree, Aqua. I’m sorry I haven’t told you about mom earlier. I thought I was doing the right thing, but I clearly didn’t!” Lea said, mocking Aqua’s decree of honesty. “Is there anything you want to open up about?” 

Terra’s eyes trailed up to his brother-in-law’s form. “What?” he asked, mimicking Lea and turning to his wife. “What is he talking about, Aqua?” His arms crossed over his chest, and his brow furrowed.

“I haven’t a clue in the world, Terra.” she lied, forcing tears from falling. Aqua shared an intense gaze with her brother-in-law, one only siblings would have. The searing white surge returned to her heart, and she grasped at her shirt, her other hand squeezing the counter, and she cleared her throat to hide her pain of guilt. She was afraid of having another heart attack. 

Silence plunged into the kitchen, and Aqua looked at her husband and then to her brother. “If you two will excuse me, I’m going to call Riku. It’d be better if he knew now than later.” she explained, still clawing at her heart. “I’m going to need a little space. I need a drink and probably some medicine to get rid of this headache.” 

Aqua took a deep breath, turning on her heel and leaving the room. As she returned back upstairs, the clock in the hallway struck three fifteen. Lorelei was bound to come in the door any minute from school, and Aqua hid away in her study, as per the usual. She drew in a gulp of bourbon, gloomily resting on the sofa against the far wall of the study. Her mind grew blank, she forgot what she was worried about, and her head rested against the armrest. She finished her drink quickly, closing her eyes. 

The rumble of children running into the house resonated through the floorboards, shaking Aqua from her nap. She sat up, remembering that she had to call Riku about their mother. Before Aqua even stood up, the door of the study flew open, and Lorelei ran in, her backpack still strapped to her back. The little girl launched herself into her mother’s arms, snuggling close to the woman’s torso. Aqua smiled, wrapping her arms around her daughter. 

“Momma! Can we go out today? I wanna go get some ice cream! Flamesman said daddy went out with Uncle Isa.” Lorelei said, cheerfully. 

Aqua bit her lip at the request, and questioned why Terra left with Isa. “Honey, it’s March. It’s still too cold for ice cream. Why don’t we make some cookies?” she suggested, smoothing Lorelei’s chestnut-brown locks. “We can make your favorite cookies, and your daddy’s favorite cookies too!”

Lorelei pursed her lips, brows furrowing and all while she seriously considered her mother’s offer. The serious expression made Aqua smile, even making her chuckle. Lorelei’s expression changed like the wind, and she nodded confidently. “I think I can do that.” she trailed off. “But will I be able to roll out the cookie mix? I wanna use the cookie cutters!” Lorelei reached for her mother’s hands, holding and swinging her arms back and forth. 

Aqua nodded, forcing a smile. “I have to make a call to your Uncle. Riku will be visiting us soon, but I need to speak to him first. Why don’t you go downstairs and tell Dilan what we’ll be doing, and he’ll help get everything together, alright?” she compromised, folding her hands over Lorelei’s. 

The little girl puffed her cheeks out in frustration, pouting. “No! I wanna wait for you!” she whined. “You always have somethin’ else to do when I want to see you momma! It isn’t fair!” Lorelei snatched her hands out of Aqua’s grasp, balling her small hands at her sides. 

“I understand Lorelei… but will you keep busy while I am on the phone? This is very important and there isn’t another time when I can do this.” Aqua implored, imagining her brother’s reaction if he was kept from truth. He would be even more upset than she was. Lorelei stared at her mother with a frightening expression plastered on her face. 

"You care more about work than me." Lorelei said, her expression became dark. Aqua choked, her eyes going wide. She couldn't think if anything to say quick enough to dispute her daughter's claim. Her heart cracked, pain immediately pooling in. Aqua desperately wanted to claw at her heart to fight the discomfort.

“Please Lorelei? I promise to you that I will make more time for us to spend together. I love you so much, you are my world and my life.”

The youngest member of the Meister family turned her head for a minute, not looking at her mother. “I’ll wait momma.” she said sadly, pulling the backpack from her shoulders. She dropped her bag on the floor. 

Aqua frowned. The weight of the world plummeted right back onto her shoulders. She hung her head, covering her eyes with her hand. 

_”Lorelei would always come first.”_  
Aqua had broken the very first promise she ever made to this child.

\----- 

Riku arrived the very next day, expressing major concern for his ill mother. His apprehension grew as he would often watch his mother meander around cluelessly, or how she would just sit by the window in the kitchen. He fell into a depression along with his other siblings. They would all try to comfort each other, but their forms of coping varied. Sora seemed to be the only one capable of expressing the relief that Riku needed, while cigarettes lifted Lea from his sadness, and alcohol soothed Aqua’s woes. 

Aqua’s honesty policy took shape. Civil discussions became the normal, little to no arguing persisted, and talk of other things died down. The only conversation that those around the Meister residence wanted to speak about was Mrs. Meister herself. As the days passed, the memories that held onto her conscience slipped further away. Aqua was just the first of many to become a stranger to her mother. Despite all of the sadness in their lives, Eraqus and Aline’s children were all united again. 

Not even a week and a half after Riku and Sora’s landing in Washington, Aline Meister was found dead in her bedroom by Lux. Aqua holed herself away in her study. She became trapped in a deeper vortex of guilt and grief. Every so often, someone would come to her asking if she was alright, and once she gave a quiet “Yes,” they left. It never made sense why she would lie if she was obviously suffering. 

Outfits in black commenced that same day, and as the coroner drove away to the morgue, Aqua watched like a hawk from the study window. Lea turned up to see his sister standing at the window, meeting her eyes for a second before going to the front door of the home. Aqua figured he was making his way up to see her. He always reassured her after death would take someone from them. 

To her surprise, Lea was not the one visiting her. Riku entered the study quietly and watched his sister with puffy eyes. Aqua’s expression morphed into a grimace, and she tilted her head up. Her hands wrapped around her waist.

“Riku, I’m sorry.” she said, the grogginess of her earlier crying climbed back up into the back of her throat. Before she could reopen her eyes again, her brother was pulling her into a hug. Surprise settled in her heart. She sighed, resting her head against his chest.

Riku stepped back after a moment or two in the embrace, looking his sister dead in the eyes. “Why are you apologizing to me? I think it was her time to go and be with dad again.” he explained, walking around the desk to sit down. 

“I guess you are right, but… it breaks my heart that she couldn’t even recognize me.” her voice cracked, but she cleared her throat immediately. “Riku, she claimed that she never had a daughter, that I never even existed to her!” 

“I know, I know, Aqua. You’ve told me, but you have to understand. That’s what was bound to happen to her. You have to know that she loved you _so_ much.” 

Aqua shook her head, looking around the room like she was in a drunken haze. “I know that… but it hurts so much to know that the last thing I said to her was in anger. She shouldn’t have been taken like this.” she trailed off. 

Riku bit his cheek. “At the very least, she died peacefully. Our father never had the luxury to die that way.” he said quickly, crossing his legs. 

Aqua had trouble finding the words to reply to him. Riku was right. Eraqus would never had been able to die in complete peace. She was guilty of her father’s death, had she never had been involved with the mob, he and Lexaeus would most likely still be living to the day. The weight of her recent sin and the sins of a decade ago snuck back up on her, slamming her down into the chair behind her. Her elbow rested on the desk as her hand covered her mouth. 

“Riku… I have to get out of this before it’s too late.” 

He raised an eyebrow, nodding. “I agree, Aqua, but you know how I’ve always felt towards this disgrace on our family. You have a child… she can’t be raised in an atmosphere like this!” he said, shaking his head in frustration. 

“I know! I’m doing my best, but no matter what it feels like I’ll never be able to flee. I should have listened to Papa long ago. I should have, but I was stupid and I didn’t.” Aqua huffed, she covered her eyes with the palm of her hand. She took a deep breath.

The conversation that Aqua and Riku shared was the first time they talked casually to each other in person in years. Three or four years had passed since Riku stopped travelling to Washington to visit, and usually a phone call every so often was the only information Aqua could have to make sure he and Sora were alright. Her place in the family strained her relationship with him. It had always been like that since their father died. Riku never favored Aqua’s leadership, but he tried to support his older sister anyway he could. It never made sense to him why she ran the family instead of Lea. But the position was always meant for oldest child that was of direct blood relation. Lea might've been of familial blood relation through his mother, but he was never truly eligible.

Silence dragged Aqua back into the real world again, and she slowly wiped her hand down her face. Riku cleared his throat, folding his hands. 

“How come Terra’s brother doesn’t visit you anymore? I chatted with him earlier, and he was concerned about Xemnas. Do you know why he hasn’t shown up?” Riku asked, changing the subject. 

Apprehension flooded into Aqua’s heart, the rapid beat began the moment Riku finished speaking. Out of muscle memory, her hand reached up over her heart, and she anticipated the painful suge of fire to rip through her chest. The anxiety that she bottled up was sure to burst sometime. Aqua was sure that she could tell her brother Riku of Xemnas’ actions. 

She lifted her head, slowly trailing over to meet his eyes. Aqua watched her brother with a sort of protective gaze, almost like she wanted to keep the truth from him, and the dull ache began to surge into her heart. 

“Riku… if I tell you the truth, you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone. You have to promise me that you will not tell my husband, Sora, or anyone else. Do you understand me?” she stated, keeping her eyes dead on her brother’s. 

Riku frowned. His eyes closed, and he hung his head. “Aqua… what did you do? Why are you keeping things from Terra?” he questioned. A hand ran through his hair. 

Aqua’s immediate thought was that he found out about the affair, but she had to reassure herself that he had no possible way of finding out. She took a deep breath. Her mind thought about every little and unimportant detail of that night, and she flushed. 

“Riku, promise me.” 

Her brother shook his head, turning towards the bookcases lining the walls. He did not reply for a moment, glancing at his feet, and then back to Aqua. “I promise.” he said quickly.

Nothing kept the words back in her throat. She realized what she said _after_ she had said it. Aqua watched closely as he youngest brother’s expression changed to doubt, then to disbelief. 

_”Xemnas tried to kill Terra and I, Riku. He was the one behind the attack on this home, not Even Fierte.”_

Riku shook his head, processing each and every word. “What?! Aqua that is quite the accusation! Why would you ever make such a strong remark!” 

Aqua sternly looked at her brother. Her expression did not change, and the blue of her eyes dulled. Riku had been victim to this same look before, but it was not from his sister. It came from his father when he explained what happened to Aqua in November of 49. The similarities between Eraqus Meister and his daughter were uncanny, even if the woman denied it. Riku forced himself to turn away from her, staring deep into the aging floorboards of the house. 

The azure woman straightened her back, sighing. “I did not want to believe it either,” she whispered. A small ripple of remorse for the man bled into her heart, but then she was immediately attacked by the painful stab like usual. Even under all of the crippling anger and hatred for the man, a tiny piece of her heart still cared about him.

Aqua sighed. “Riku, you can’t tell Terra about this. I couldn’t see him go through the pain of betrayal.” She closed her eyes, unable to even _imagine_ the extent of Terra’s anger. Hell, she had only seen him express anything close to anger when she tried to distance herself from Xemnas, and Aqua _knows_ that was only an inkling of his fury. In the years that they were together, Terra very rarely ever got angry about something. He was always empathetic and he never wanted to see someone upset. Aqua had never thought about it before, but she only just realized that Terra might've been suffering from something. But she didn't think too far into it, returning to her conversation with her younger brother. 

Riku shook his head, shrugging. “There is no reason for me to tell him.” he said simply, rising from his seat. Riku stuffed his hands in his pockets, moving towards the door. His lips pulled to a frown. His eyes trailed up to his sister, and he sighed. They maintained eye contact for a moment.

“Aqua, I hope you know what you are doing. There isn’t much that I can do to help you, and I don’t guarantee that I’ll help if you do ask.” he added, reaching back for the doorknob. “I have a life separate from yours, and I’d like to keep it that way.” 

And with that, Riku left the room, and his words forced Aqua back into harsh reality. She lowered her head, covering her face with her hands. The mid-afternoon light bled through curtains and spread to her feet. A constant _Prrap Prrap Prrap Prrap_ beat rattled her chest. She wanted nothing more than to rip her heart out and beat it to death; that or travel back in time to prevent the affair. 

\---

Aline Meister’s viewing was held on the estate, only a few days after her death. The cold March day brought rain, and ominous clouds gathered overhead. Terra’s side of the family flew in from Los Angeles to pay their respects. The elderly Xehanort even arrived to offer condolences to Aqua. One person out of the dozen caught Aqua’s eye, and the fury locked behind her eyes and the painful heartbeat marched in her chest. 

Across the room, beside the open casket of her mother, standing at her husband’s side was Xemnas. His distinct silver hair and defined build immediately caught her eye the second she turned. Aqua was speaking to an old family friend, but she became stark and silent as she watched the man with a hard gaze. Lea approached his sister, resting a hand on her shoulder. 

“Aqua, may I speak with you?” 

Aqua was violently pulled from her concentration, her eyes going wide in surprise as she became aware of her brother’s presence. She forced a smile. 

“Of course Lea.” she replied, saving face in front of their old friend. 

They left the living room, stepping into a side room where they could be alone. Lea exhaled in frustration. “Can't you set your fucking differences aside for _one day_ Aqua? It is the viewing of our dead mother, and he came to pay his respects.” his voice ran to a whisper, but the anger was very evident in his tone. 

Aqua opened her mouth to reply, but Lea began to speak again. 

“You are a grown woman. Act like one for a single day of mourning. Because of your selfish actions, Terra hasn’t seen his brother in over a month! Don’t you remember how close they were before all of this?” 

Aqua frowned. “You think I don’t know that, Lea?” she said calmly, in an attempt to mask her anger. “Do you think I wanted to cut our ties with him? Do you really think that is what I wanted to do?” She raised her eyebrows, throwing her hand up emphasize her words. 

Lea took a deep breath, pursing his lips. “You don’t have to ask me, Aqua.” 

The woman took a moment to reply, glaring at the wall beside her brother. A hand reached up to fidget with her necklace, but a roaring and ripping pain bled into her heart. She winced, squeezing her eyes shut. 

“I’ll be civil with him. But only for today.” 

Lea raised an eyebrow, setting a hand on his hip. He shifted in place, shaking his head in disappointment. The pain subsided in Aqua’s heart. Her eyes opened, and she met the eyes of her brother. Words started to build in her throat. Pride forced her lips to a frown, and she straightened her back. Her head turned slightly to the left, but she maintained the intense gaze with her brother. 

“I have you as my consultant, Lea. That does _not_ mean you can order me to do anything.” Aqua said firmly, a hint of bitterness in her tone. “I am the head of the family. I am the eldest blood child to my father. Do you understand?” 

Lea swallowed tearing his gaze away from his sister. He looked humiliated. “You don’t need to remind me.” he spat, walking past her. Words were visibly held back in his throat. Before he left his sister’s side, looking directly at her, he spoke:

 

“You would be stooping to his level and falling to revenge if you murdered him, Aqua.” he acknowledged. She turned halfway, watching as he dissolved into the crowd of mourners. 

Aqua sighed, rubbing her arms. She took a moment to cool down, gazing at family portraits hung beside the fireplace. Stepping out of the side room, Aqua made her way back to the viewing. She forced herself to steel her nerves. The familiar and treacherous eyes of the man who betrayed her immediately met hers as she passed the other guests. 

Xemnas’ deep complexion grew pallid, an expression of surprise fell to his lips. As he was deep in a conversation with his brother, his attention completely ignored the words they shared, and he focused on Aqua walking towards him. A terrible nervousness grew over him. When she did not stop, he figured this was the end. He cursed himself. 

Aqua met the side of her husband, meeting his deep ocean blue eyes, before reaching up on the tips of her toes to kiss him. As she stepped back down, Aqua turned her head to Xemnas. The fire camouflaged behind tears of mourning in her eyes. Not a single rippling pain flourished in her heart, and made one step in his direction. 

He tensed. Xemnas watched as she reached up to place a kiss on his cheek and grab his hand to hold. He had no idea if this was a dream or reality. How could she be showing him this kindness if he was not seen as family to her anymore? Aqua honed in on his eyes, a sense of bitter wrath trickling through her facade. She squeezed his hand. 

“You must visit more. See your brother more often.” she said softly, choking back her resentment to the man. 

Xemnas’ expression melted. He glanced at his brother, confused and slightly fearful of her sudden change in mood. His eyes flicked back down at hers. “That’s very kind of you, Aqua, but…” he hesitated, pausing for a moment to gather the terrible jumble of words in his mind. “But I’ve been so busy with work and coming in for your cases that I don’t know if I’ll have the time _to_ visit.” he finished, forcing an awkward smile. 

Terra audibly sighed, catching the attention of a few other mourners in the room. He noticed their eyes watching him, and he immediately looked away. “Xem, come on! You can’t be _that_ busy with work. We were never this busy back in the day and it couldn’t have changed so much.” he said firmly, furrowing his brow. 

Aqua let go of her betrayer’s hand, stepping to the side. There could not be anything standing between these brothers. They needed to figure this out without Aqua in the middle, even if all of this was her fault. She glanced back and forth at the men, folding her hands. 

“You aren’t involved in this anymore, Terra. You don’t even know how it works these days.” Xemnas replied, a hint of anger in his tone. “Besides, you never wanted the life of an assassin. A domestic life is what you really wanted, and now you have a child, you live comfortably, and you have a beautiful wife.” he looked at Aqua. 

Terra shook his head, scoffing. “At least stay with us the next time you are in Washington, okay? We shouldn’t be arguing about this today.” he said sadly, turning his head to see the open casket down in the room. 

Aqua stared deep into the carpet on the floor. Her head spun and whirled, and for a moment, she believed she had no right to kill Xemnas. Sure, he was a walking embodiment of her guilt. Sure, he still wanted to help the family. But he still betrayed them. She excused herself, leaving for the study upstairs. As she entered the room, Lorelei was drawing in crayon at the coffee table and sofa with Xion and Roxas. The children sat silently, sadly looking up at the woman as she stepped inside. Xion's head rested against her brother's shoulder and her eyes closed after Aqua arrived. Roxas was clearly disgruntled. He sat criss-crossed on the sofa, intently watching Lorelei in front of him. His gaze was _so_ intense, that it looked as if he'd jump at any opportunity to protect the little girl. 

They were all adorned in black dress, not one speck of color was to be found in their outfits. Lorelei’s eyes were red from tears, but she did not look up from the parchment she scribbled on. Aqua first met the wet bar across from the children sitting on the sofa, hesitating as she pulled the lid from a decanter of whiskey. Her other hand readied the crystal cut glass, and she slowly poured the room temperature alcohol into the glass. 

The woman stood at the side of the bar for a minute, keeping her head low. She sighed slowly. Aqua moved to the window behind her desk, staring out into the depressing rainy day. She raised the glass to her lips, taking a large gulp of whiskey. Her eyes fluttered as the bitter drink poured down her throat. As the glass was lowered back to her waist, her other hand began to fidget with her necklace. 

Aqua reached up to pull back the curtain. She stared at people as they began to leave the viewing, only a few trudged through the rain between the open door of the home to their car. The trees swayed from the wind, rain splattered against the window, and a quiet roll of thunder rumbled some distance from the house. It could not have been a better time for Aqua to lament on the future for her brother-in-law. She imagined the scenarios, the people she would hire, and the setting on which it would occur. It became difficult for her to determine if she wanted to be present or not. She would make sure that her husband was as far away from the event as possible. Aqua sighed, covering her eyes with her free hand in shame. 

Murder should’ve been the very last thing for Aqua to be thinking about, what with the senate still investigating her, but it was the only thing she was even _capable_ of thinking about as of late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy spring everyone! Last chapter I promised to update twice a month, so i decided to just upload two on one day so I wouldn't have to determine a schedule for this. I'm pretty lazy with stuff like that.
> 
> Following this, there's only about 2-3 major events to happen! Next chapter might not be as lengthy as previously posted ones, but it still contains some important information!
> 
> Thank you so much for reading, and I hope to see you in the next chapter! <3


	8. A Plan Arises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> _Aqua gathered in the old study with men from the joint family. Her brother Lea, Braig, Ventus, the ever-faithful Lux and Dilan, and Isa, all stood before her and watched as she raised her hand to bind the role of Patron to the family in her blood. One by one, they offered congratulations and took her hand in theirs, kissing the top. It was sacred, tradition._

Another boring day of questioning proceeded at the Senate hearing, the band of men asked too similar of questions to Aqua, and the crowd once again forced the senators to clear the courtroom and call a recess until the next hearing. This time, Aqua did not collapse in illness, which was a blessing to the frightened members of the court. The apprehension summoned by her fainting was very prevalent in the courtroom that day. News reporters and gossip magazine writers asked her questions that attempted to dumb her down. Of course, she ignored these questions and all questions pestered by the media. She never spoke on behalf of the family unless she was to make a public statement that _required_ her attention.

Kairi, Ventus, Lea and Isa, and Aqua all commuted back to the estate northwest of the capitol, an awkward and silent drive back. Aqua sat alone in the backseat of her own car, staring out the window as the city grew out of sight. There was only one more hearing in the future. The senate decided that they would wrap up delegations for the trial, gather their evidence against Mrs. Erde, and convict her of her family’s crimes. Thoughts of going to jail did not bother her. She knew there would be a way out for her. Her eyes fell to the wedding ring on her finger. 

Her plans were not completely set in stone for her brother-in-law’s assassination. Aqua decided who she would hire for the mission, but the setting still eluded her. 

As the trees of the dense forest across from the estate blended into view, Aqua sat up, spotting gardeners tending to the lawn. Bodyguards watched from inside the gates. They watched from the perimeter of the forest. And they watched from the grounds of the estate. The car pulled up beside the front flower bed, and Aqua exited the moment the engine purring came to an end. She stepped out into the sunny early-spring day. Kairi and Ventus ran to their brother further out in the lawn, greeting Lorelei at his side. 

Terra beamed a happy smile as he spoke with his siblings, watching as Kairi hoisted Lorelei up into her arms for a piggyback ride. Lorelei cheered and held onto her godmother with her arms wrapped around her neck in a loop. Kairi steered over to Aqua, panting slightly as she came to a stop.

“This little lady wants to see her momma.” Kairi winked, catching her breath. 

Aqua took her daughter’s hand, kissing the top. “And I wanted to see this lovely lady. How are you my sweet?” she cooed, smoothing Lorelei’s hair. 

Lorelei giggled, her innocent seven-year-old soul blasting in her eyes. “Momma can Kairi and Ven-Ven stay for a while? I wanna play lotsa games with them!” she said quickly, resting her little head on top of her godmother’s.

“I don’t know, Lorelei, that’s up to Tante Kairi and Amca Ventus. I have no problem with it.” Aqua replied, turning halfway to watch Terra and Ventus slowly walk over to their side. “Honey, can Ven and Kairi stay for a little? Lorlie has an entire weekend planned apparently!” she called out to Terra. 

Terra grinned, throwing his hands up in the air. “I don’t see why not!” he hollered back. As soon as he was closer to the party, he began to speak again. “We haven’t had you guys for dinner in a while. Besides we can all catch up on what we’ve missed in our lives.” he finished, pulling Aqua into a kiss. 

Lorelei groaned, and Kairi set her back on the ground. “You guys are gonna get cooties. That’s nasty!” The little girl covered her face in her hands. 

“Yeah guys, I agree with the little one here.” Ven said, walking to the steps of the porch. “C’mon Lorlei, let’s jet before your gross parents get their cooties all over us.” He held his hand out for the girl to take. Lorelei gladly hurried over and grabbed the hand of her uncle, walking inside her house with him. 

Kairi breaks into a fit of laughter, looking at her brother and his wife. “So, besides for your gross ass cooties being the topic of every single conversation now, I thought I’d let you know that I have a way to shut Marluxia down.” her cheerful tone dissipated as she continued to talk. “We can speak about this later. As for now, I have my goddaughter to visit and a liquor cabinet to raid later.” she winked again, leaving for the house. 

Aqua reached for her husband’s hand, sighing and nodding. “At least we won’t be bored with them here.” she said softly. “How come my side of the family isn’t as fun as yours?”

“Because all of my family members are batshit crazy assassins.” Terra explained, finding Aqua’s eyes. “Don’t say that. Lea is the funkiest guy I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting, and Riku is great once you put a few drinks in him.” 

“I don’t know how I should feel about that.” Aqua smiled, pulling him into another kiss. “Let’s go inside before Roxas convinces Ven to do something stupid.” 

\---

Kairi wrangled everyone into the study upstairs later in the night. She passed around drinks to those who wanted one, and then plopped down in the armchair opposite to Aqua’s desk. Terra rested against the top of the desk, his arms crossed over his chest. He watched his sister as she got comfortable in the chair. 

“So I’ve gathered you all here to tell ya’ how we are gonna get out of the trial unscaithed.” Kairi began, looking around at the tired faces around her. She exchanged an odd glance with Lea across the room, but then got back to her mighty plan. “You all might remember the wonderful banquet Aqua and Terra held for their wedding back all those years ago, right?” 

The wedded couple immediately shifted in place, focusing their full attention on the young woman. Ven snorted as he noticed their wonky expressions.

“Yes, what of it?” Aqua asked, folding her hands in her lap. 

Kairi paused for a moment and a serious expression enveloped her soft and princess-like visage. Her eyes dropped to the floor, but she met Aqua’s as she brought them back up. “As you were dining, the girl who works with Marluxia and Larxene approached your table to offer congratulations on their behalf. Ms. Namine? I remember her from that night very well.” she said mysteriously, which caused a few in the room to face her with confused expressions plastered against their skin. 

Aqua immediately knew of who Kairi spoke. The young pale girl with all pale features. Namine’s eyes plagued Aqua’s mind as she recalled everything she knew of her. Back then, after the announcement banquet, Aqua called upon the help of a few members of an intelligence group to try and pry for information about Namine, but nothing was ever found. The girl remains to be a complete mystery. 

Kairi sighed. “Namine and I have history. I am one of the only people in the United States that is aware of her location, and I know that she would emerge from her place to help us.” she explained. 

“What would she do? Just sit in beside our family in the crowd and glare at Marluxia and Larxene?” Terra asked, uncrossing his arms. 

“She’d do exactly that.” 

Lea shook his head, standing from his seat. “I don’t think that will work as well as you might think it would, Kairi.” 

The redheads shared a look. Kairi sat up, taking a large gulp of her drink. She returned the glass to the table. “If I had the right to explain why I know this would work, I would, Lea.” she said firmly. “I’ve offered all of my trust to Namine, and thankfully she was able to trust me in return. She divulged on information that I cannot share with you all. This is why this must remain covert and safe.” 

Silence fell upon the party, most of the eyes still on the young woman. Ventus cleared his throat. 

“So, I trust Kairi, and I think it would be a great idea to bring Namine on board. We have no more cards to play in this game, it’ll be over if we don’t at least try.” Ven said, nodding. 

“Ven’s right,” Terra asserted, turning halfway to look back at his wife in her seat. “We should take this risk, Aqua.” 

Ventus and Kairi started their own conversation, and it suddenly became white noise to Aqua as she sat in thought. The plan was not half bad. It impressed Aqua, but it also scared her. With such a mysterious girl to arrive out of the blue would definitely look odd. If only _one_ look to Larxene and Marluxia would call off the investigation, they must have done something seriously wrong to Namine. Someone with that much power, more power than Aqua ever had, was frightening.

Aqua reeled back into reality, facing her husband with a funny expression. “Do you think it is a good idea?” she murmured, knowing Terra would be able to pick up on it. They’ve always had an interesting way of communicating. Their connection was stronger than Aqua even imagined.

He slightly nodded his head in reply. “I think it will be okay. I’ll work with Kairi to figure everything out.” he replied, just as softly as she had spoken to him. Terra turned towards his sister. “Will we be providing the safe passage for Namine to arrive?”

Kairi frowned, shaking her head. “No. I will be going alone to get her,” she paused, shifting in her seat to meet Aqua’s eyes. “If that is alright with you, Aqua. I just can’t risk revealing her location to any other person.” Kairi folded her hands over her lap and her lips tightened to a hard line. 

All eyes fell to Aqua. The party waited patiently for her to respond, watching her as she sat in thought again. Aqua pursed her lips. “Okay… as long as the war between the families will end. I want nothing more than that to happen.” she said. 

Kairi rose from her seat and gave Aqua one very confident nod of her head. “Namine wants the war to end just as much as you do. I promise you that this will pull through. Namine isn’t foolish, and I think it would please her if she could meet with you afterwards.” the redhead explained. She walked around the chair, past her brother, and back to the door. 

“It will work, Aqua, er… _Patron_ ” 

Chills rolled down the blue woman’s spine. Not a single soul had referred to her as Patron in nearly a decade. It was the name she would rather not be called, as it reminded her of her father. Eraqus was the original Patron to the Meister family and he was known to be named it. The Patron was a family tradition that Eraqus started once he moved to California and became known. She was not afraid of the title. She only disliked it. The way Kairi annunciated and spoke that name to her bothered her. Kairi was family, Aqua loved her like she was her very own sister, but there was absolutely no need for her to say it.

Aqua stood, looking down at the floor. She turned to stand beside the window. Outside the same men patrolled the grounds of the estate, some accompanied by dogs. Aqua breathed slowly out her nostrils and folded her hands over her heart. Not a single thought remained in her mind but the murder of her brother-in-law. She came to the conclusion that it would occur after the last hearing. It was going to be public, rouse the reporters and camera men to witness such an insolent crime. Aqua just needed Terra to be away. She couldn’t hurt him by being a bystander to his twin brother’s assassination, although there was always the off chance that he watched the television to keep up on the hearings. It wasn’t any better that Ventus and Kairi would stand right at her side as it happened. There had to be a way for her to delay them. 

Pulling back into the moment, Aqua turned halfway to lock eyes with Terra. He wore a concerned expression. She trembled at the thought of breaking his heart. 

 

\---

**_Eight Years Ago_ **

_Aqua gathered in the old study with men from the joint family. Her brother Lea, Braig, Ventus, the ever-faithful Lux and Dilan, and Isa, all stood before her and watched as she raised her hand to bind the role of Patron to the family in her blood. One by one, they offered congratulations and took her hand in theirs, kissing the top. It was sacred, tradition._

_The first to arrive before her was Braig. He bowed his head, took her hand, and kissed. “You will be a perfect Patron. You have your father’s blood and the same determination that he once had in his earlier days. I am here to aid you, Patron Aqua.” Braig said, dropping Aqua’s hand and moving back for the train of men to continue._

_Ventus followed, beaming a smile as wonderful as ever. It warmed Aqua’s heart. The young man hadn’t changed at all and still loved to see her. Ventus was probably the closest friend Aqua ever had. She focused back on the present as he carefully grasped her hand with both of his, and sweetly kissed it. “I will always be on your call. I trust and pray that you lead us all to a bright future where my services will not be needed, Patron Aqua.” Ventus finished with another great smile, stepping back from her._

_Tears picked at the back of her eyes. Down the hall, just beside the door to the guest bedroom, stood her fiance. Aqua’s breath got caught in her throat. It was hard to breathe. Lux had come to her front to kiss her hand and say his words. Aqua struggled to pay attention to the man who swore his life to protect her until the day he died, or the man whom she loved. The British man left her side, and stood behind the desk. Terra nodded in consideration and smiled to reassure her. Aqua was about to respond to his kind notion, just before Braig closed the door and separated Terra from her view. It forced her back into the present. Her heart ached._

_Dilan offered the same thanks as Lux, humbly accepting to serve her until the day he died. He was a good man, and Aqua wished to repay him for the many times he’s saved her life. She was indebted to many of the men who stood kissing her hand and offering up their trust. Had they not been there for her, she wouldn’t be standing as the head of her family. Aqua observed as Lea’s partner Isa Sahar as he reached out to take her hand in his and kiss. Isa was a quiet man, he was reserved, but most of all he was strong. Aqua could admit that she barely spoke more than a word to Isa everyday, but she appreciated his presence in the family. It was Isa’s job to represent Aqua as her attorney, and he was damn good at it. Should there ever be a day where he would need to stand as her lawyer in court, Isa would thrive._

_Last, but very not least, was Lea. The slim redhead who stood by her father’s side for nearly two decades. Since his eighteenth year, Lea helped in the family business with anything imaginable. He’s murdered men for Eraqus, he’s survived lawsuits for Eraqus, and he improved the stability of their hotels on the east coast. Ever since Aqua had her very first memory, Lea was there. Losing his brother Aeleus devastated him. It tore him apart, but then he started to maintain his health and raise Xion and Roxas to the best of his ability. Aqua appreciated Lea to the stars and back. She offered him a bittersweet smile as he came to her side._

_Lea smirked, leaning down to leave one last kiss on her hand. She was now the Patron to her family, the leader, the head. He slowly rose back up, sadly exchanging a look with his sister. Aqua’s brows pinched together. Tears once again scratched the back of her eyes. “We never wanted you to go through this, Aqua.” he said softly. Lea’s eyes fell, and he was unable to look her in the eye. “I always thought your father would give this role to me one day. I was so eager to make my way up to earning his respect, but I never thought it would ever fall to you. Back then, I wasn’t aware of his goals for a child of his own flesh and blood to lead the family...” he laughed dryly. His lips pulled to a frown, concerning Aqua. Lea quickly pulled her into a hug, holding the back of her head softly._

_”You may not be my sister by blood, Aqua, but I still and always will love you. There were so many better things out in the world for you… so many things that Eraqus dreamed of you becoming. It is not your fault that you were swept up in this hell.” Lea whispered. He slowly pulled back, smiling again and playfully ruffled her hair. Aqua was speechless, the emotions surging over in her heart. Lea moved a step away from her, and inhaled a deep breath through his nostrils. Aqua knew what was coming._

_“Patron Aqua.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I guess you can call this chapter: "The Calm Before the Storm" cause yall are in for a ride next chapter. I'm figuring out when I wanna drop that this month. Maybe halfway thru? We'll see. In other news, I've started a little side project to this big ol story to focus on Terra! I miss my boy a whole lot, and I'm gonna try to feature him more in part three (since im writing the outline for that now) cause hes so important to me and i miss him. I also just want a little break before i hop right back on the aqua guilt train. I should write more happy drabbles. oh where have the days gone...
> 
> Happy May guys! I hope you all are having a good one and are staying safe. Let the warm weather commence! 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and I hope to see you in the next chapter! <3


	9. And So It Is

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All things must come to an end.

The day finally arrived. Aqua was overwhelmed, but somehow managed to keep her cool. Namine came to the estate to stay a week before the trial. She barely spoke to anyone _but_ Kairi, and on that rare occasion if someone was able to get more than a few words from her, she would bring up strange topics. And while Namine was quiet and confusing to many, the very same question lingered in everyone’s mind when she appeared. What did Larxene and Marluxia do to her? 

Before Aqua left the estate, she sat in silence with Terra. She held his hand and leaned against his side. Her shoulders were hunched, her eyes unable to remain on one object. The minutes of silence were comforting. Aqua valued the moments she was able to have with Terra, she appreciated that they never had to speak a word to each other and yet understand the situation empathetically. Terra was such a kind, wonderful, and strong individual who Aqua was ever so lucky to cross paths with. 

There was a knock at the door and Aqua slowly sat up straight. Her hand was firmly together with Terra’s. She didn’t want to let go. The door opened as slow as molasses, and then finally Ventus poked his head into the room. He stepped in and closed the door behind himself. Ven smiled at his step-brother, leaning against the tall armoire at his back. Aqua was jealous of his peace of mind. Her eyes trailed up from the floor to meet his form across the room.

“It’s just about time to get going. We don’t wanna be late for the last hearing.” Ven said. His voice was strange, it was sincere, but sounded so mature. Ventus never actively acted mature around his friends unless there was something seriously wrong, or while he was out on a job. 

Terra returned his smile, nodding softly. He shifted in his seat to face Aqua. “Are you going to be okay, Aqua?” he murmured, reaching out with his hand to brush hair aside from her face. “I understand your anxiety, Blue, but don’t worry so much. We have our ace in the hole.” 

Aqua was trapped. She met Terra’s eyes, feeling the tears bubble up, and she so desperately resisted the urge to cry. Deep inside, her heart wanted to confess. She wanted to spill everything. But she couldn’t. Instead, she reached up to gently touch his cheek, and leant in to kiss him. This could never suffice for what she was about to do to Terra. A kiss could never pardon murder. 

As she began to linger, Terra pulled back first. He watched her sadly rise from her seat. Aqua grimaced, hurrying to leave the room before it was too late. She slipped past Ven and into the hallway. It was eerily silent, as it was too early in the morning for the kids to be awake, and even her footsteps reverberated with a terrible echo. The house felt haunted. 

Downstairs was exactly the same. Aqua grabbed her purse and hat in the front room, gazing out upon the driveway with her mind fixated on only one fact: Xemnas would die today. Her anger and frustration told her not to be depressed and frightened. She had to protect the family. No matter what.

The car ride into downtown was agonizing. The size of the publicity outside the capitol building was horrific. All of this hullabaloo over one accusation. Disgusting. The moment Aqua stepped out of her car, cameras popped like crazy, and people shouted out to her with questions. Once she retreated inside the building, things were drastically different. Lawmakers wandered around silently. Average people went from to and fro, without bothering a soul. 

Aqua was escorted back to the courtroom for the very last time by Lea and Isa. She walked sandwiched between them, not saying a damn word. Today there wouldn’t be a questioning for her. The remaining questions were for Marluxia as he tried harder and harder to persecute Aqua for her crime, but it would never happen. Even if he had all of the evidence in the world, Aqua would be able to wiggle her way out of it. That’s what her father always had done. 

As they trekked the various corridors to the courtroom, Aqua caught a glimpse of her hired assassin. He had gathered in a group of reporters interviewing members of the senate committee to remain incognito. She stiffened, forcing herself to look away. There were going to be enough reminders of what she had planned. 

All of what she said to the assassin replayed in her mind. Aqua gave him very specific instructions, reminding him that death could become his fate. She had paid him in advance. Knowing that the assassin kept his word to her was reassuring, but it wasn’t very reassuring when she found Ventus and Xemnas waiting outside the courtroom. All of her thoughts and actions froze the very moment she laid eyes on Xemnas.

Aqua couldn’t speak. She couldn’t find the strength to keep going. Lea and Isa had walked past her moments ago, glancing back at her. The anxiety and jitters from that day almost ten years ago, where she took two other lives, had returned. It swept over her. Aqua chewed on her cheek, eyes flicking from one thing to another. She couldn’t focus. 

“Are you alright, Aqua?” Lea asked, resting a hand on her shoulder. In response, she jumped, startling Lea as well. “Hey what’s going on? You look pale.” 

Aqua’s eyes trailed up to find her step-brother’s eyes. She nodded, which looked damn near impossible. All of her energy just left her body. “You all go in.” she coerced from the depths of her soul. Even _that_ was terribly exhausting. “I need to speak to Xemnas, if that’s alright.” 

Lea frowned, narrowing his eyes in suspicion. He must've known what was going on. His arm retracted back and he stepped to the side. There he was. Standing at his cohort’s side, talking about jokes. Ven’s laughter threw more guilt onto her already heavy heart. Xemnas was smiling. He turned his head, finding Aqua’s eyes, and his smile immediately disappeared. Lea returned to Isa, whispering something to him. Isa side-glanced at Aqua and then disappeared with Lea into the courtroom. 

“You go on ahead, Ven.” Xemnas said, keeping his eyes on the floor. “We’ll be in shortly.” 

“There’s only like, five minutes before it star--” 

“I know. Aqua and I just need to speak to each other. Business related.” he interrupted, a little short in his response. Xemnas turned to his little step-brother and weakly smiled. He expressed so much pain. This is what Aqua did. Her emotional toll. 

Ventus glanced between Aqua and Xemnas for a moment. “Alright. I’ll see you guys soon.” he said, withdrawing himself and walking into the courtroom. 

The corridor grew deathly silent. It remained that way until Aqua grimaced, her hands crossing over her chest. “I… know this is awkward. I know what you must be thinking, and I don’t blame you. Detaching you from Terra’s life, from... _my_ life hasn’t been easy on any of us, and I would understand if you hate me and curse me.” she said, slowly. Her heart was talking. 

“Aqua…” 

Aqua moved towards him, stopping just before it was too close for comfort. “I can never forgive you for what you’ve done to me, you have to understand that, but I don’t know why I feel so…” she paused, trying to find the words. In her thought, she finally looked up to find his eyes and carry on with the conversation. “...so _guilty_!” 

Xemnas watched her carefully. He was tense, his hands visibly at his sides, but his fingers moved in an anxious twitch. “You shouldn’t feel guilty, Aqua. I… I knew that there would be consequences to sever ties and bonds. It’s just something that I’ve come to accept.” he replied, his voice low. “You were absolutely just in your decision. I see that now.” 

“There was nothing else I could do.” Aqua lied. She turned her head away, covering her mouth. She’d said too much. “Why I really wanted to talk was to thank you for coming to these awful trials. You really didn’t need to, but you did anyway, and I thank you.” she closed her eyes.

“Don’t thank me.” Xemnas frowned, shaking his head. “I don’t deserve your thanks. I’ve done enough to you… and… and you should never thank me. “ he sighed, running a hand through his hair. 

Aqua didn’t know what she was doing. She reached out to him, wrapping her arms around his waist. Her mind went blank. Unfortunately, this embrace would be his last. Somehow this relieved some of Aqua’s guilt. Her eyes squeezed shut, and after another moment, after remembering the following events, she tore her arms away. She ran around him, opening the doors to the courtroom and left him in the hallway. 

As she entered the room, Aqua was assaulted with camera flashes and questions from hungry reporters. She turned to the side and quickly went to her brother standing beside their seats. Sliding into her seat, her eyes wandered over to Marluxia and Larxene, observing the interactions between the two. Marluxia must’ve noticed her looking because his head rose up and he glared right at Aqua. 

She looked away. 

A gavel pounded against the longtable at the front of the room. The youngest senator stood, the gavel in hand. He announced that it would begin shortly, but Aqua wasn’t paying enough attention to care. Today she was just supposed to sit there and not cause a ruckus. Simple enough. 

Aqua shifted in her seat to look back to see who all was currently present. Kairi and Namine hadn’t arrived yet, which concerned Aqua. She was riding on their appearance. Her leg started to bounce under the table. Ventus and Xemnas were once again chatting up a storm about something, and Lea and Isa quietly spoke about what all was about to happen. She was left on her own.

A couple more senators filled up their seats, while one displayed the elaborate board that exploited the Meister-Erde family. It was terrifyingly accurate. The pyramid of people grew in rank person by person, but it all was drawn back to Aqua. Everyone had their own picture. Ventus was on it, Xemnas was, Lea, Isa, Kairi, amongst others that Aqua had worked with in the past and present. Even her husband’s photo was on this board. It nauseated Aqua. 

The stragglers were slowly coming in, but it still didn’t include Kairi or Namine. Aqua looked at Lea but he only shrugged. That did _not_ reassure her. Senate members were all in their seats, their eyes falling to the court before them. One senator, in particular, a young fellow, stared intently at Aqua. She uncomfortably shifted in her seat. Cameras continued to pop and capture moments inside the court. 

The gavel was pounded against the longtable again, the senators calling for silence as the trial began. All doors were closed. Aqua continued to lay there in her daze. Senators started speaking into the microphones, something about this and something about that, and then Marluxia’s attorney joined in on the discussion. Aqua didn’t care anymore. This was it. Lorelei was going to grow up with a criminal of a mother who would never be there to raise her, Terra would have to continue to work without Aqua at his side. Aqua hid her head in her hands. She felt like she was going to burst into tears. 

Then, the side door of the courtroom opened slowly. It squeaked as the pin rusted against the butt hinges, which distracted and pulled everyone’s attention to it. Aqua turned around as well, her eyes slowly trailing to see who else wanted entrance to this abomination of a court. Her expression softened, her eyes widening. 

Kairi and Namine waltzed into the room. Almost immediately, the eldest senator pulled his microphone towards him, grunting and breathing audibly through his nostrils. It was disgusting. “Who are you? Why have you come in here?” he objected, squinting through his thick rimmed glasses. 

“You know who I am. I’m one of the faces on that board, and I’m here to support my sister in law.” Kairi sassed, frowning. She stepped to the side to introduce Namine. “This is my friend. She is also here to support Aqua.” 

The senators couldn’t come up with a response. They sat there dumbfounded. Kairi lead Namine to their seats beside Ventus and Xemnas and sat down. The audience roared in chatter, reporters scribbling things on notepads and photographers madly taking pictures like no tomorrow. Aqua was flooded with relief, her mind now capable of focusing at the task at hand. She looked over at Marluxia and Larxene. They were mortified. 

Larxene’s usually pearl complexion grew pallid. She looked _sickly_. Her eyes were wide, her mouth agape, and she kept looking between Namine and Marluxia. The petal-pink man was just as uncomfortable with the situation. Between the boisterous audience and his old associate sitting mere feet away, he scrambled to figure out something. Marluxia frantically whispered with his attorney. All of this reaction from one single look. Namine must hold some serious power against them. What could they have done to her that made them this disturbed to see her?

Aqua sat amazed at Namine’s effect on them. She raised her head confidently, looking back at the longtable of congressional men. One slammed the gavel back against the surface of the table, which sounded very close to snapping or splintering. A man called for order, threatening to remove the audience from the room. Following his theat, the crowd calmed down. 

Marluxia ran a hand through his hair, nervously working with his attorney to figure something out. Eventually, he slowly looked over at Aqua, who watched him with a confident gaze. To divert the senator’s interest, Aqua turned to her brother and whispered to him. The pink man sighed. 

“Is there an issue, Mr. Winston?” asked a senator. 

Marluxia bit his lip. “No, there isn’t. Continue.” he said, completely defeated. His back rested against his chair. 

For a few minutes, the senators carried away with their extravagant and elaborate trial. One explained the ties and structure of order in the Meister-Erde family. He didn’t leave out a single detail, being sure to include _every single person_ involved. It was like he was reciting a goddamn paper he wrote for school. After he finished, an older man on the committee took hold of the reins, blabbering on where the other man left off. 

Aqua wasn't concerned now. She had already won. It was just a matter of time before they would ask to confirm and validate his testimony, and then Marluxia will choke. Aqua’s eyes wandered back over to the prosecution. She watched as the attorney sat with his head in his hands, Marluxia sternly gazing ahead. He looked completely hopeless.   
“...we will now turn to Mr. Winston, who should be able to validate his testimony to this court.” The senators’ voice flooded back into Aqua’s conscience. Up until now, she was blocking them out. “Mr. Winston would you please confirm this for us?” 

Marluxia sighed, his shoulders slumping. He turned in his seat to look at Larxene in the audience. They exchanged a sad look, but Marluxia nodded in response to it. He faced the senators again. “I won't be pressing anymore charges. Drop the investigation.” he said solemnly. Marluxia turned to Aqua, standing from his seat. 

“It’s time for all of this to end.” 

A low murmur rumbled through the audience, the senators sat looking like complete assholes, and Aqua watched her former rival. One senator was not having it. They started chattering along with the crowd, their noise just as, if not more, obnoxious. 

“You can’t just call all of this off like it is nothing! You have given a sworn testimony, you’ve given us incriminating evidence against Ms. Meister here!” he said, gripping the end of the microphone with one hand and pointing at the evidence board and table with another. His eyes were wild. “This isn’t your choice to shut this down.” 

Marluxia withdrew his gaze from Aqua, looking directly at the senator who spoke up. He remained relaxed, his hands meeting his front to button his suit jacket. “You can take this up with me later, _senator_. I’m tired from all of this drama and political involvement. You all should be improving our country right now, not gathering us in this stuffy room to debate and argue about one thing for months.” Marluxia chided, calmly taking a breath. 

Other senators on the committee turned to speak with one another or the representatives behind them. The audience’s volume rattled against the walls of the court, camera flashes and clicks capturing the surprising events of the day. Aqua leant over to Lea, whispering to him: 

“I believe we will be having a new alliance soon.” She exchanged a look with him. Lea rose an eyebrow, hesitating a nod. Aqua turned back to the pink-haired man glaring at the senators on committee. She shifted in her seat as he looked at her. His gaze was intense. It made Aqua remember her father’s funeral, where Marluxia gave her the same exact look. He came to her side, and Aqua immediately stood up as he approached. 

Marluxia extended his hand to her, sincerely nodding to her. “Do you accept my apology? I know it’s been too many years, but now I know what we are both after…” he said slowly, glancing at Namine and Kairi sitting together. The senators yapped behind them, making more noise than the audience. Flashes from cameras came on in a rapid fire from both sides. It was blinding. 

Aqua returned his motion, reaching out to shake his hand. She grabbed his hand and firmly shook up and down. Her stone cold expression didn’t fade. Marluxia leant in, whispering in her ear. 

“I appreciate your willingness to resolve this. We’ve both taken people from our lives, and I’m sorry, but I see a good future with both of us working together in it. Maybe you can come back to California with the other three families. Your absence has created a terrible unbalance in the power there.” he said, leaning back and releasing her hand. Marluxia stared deep into her eyes, expecting an answer right there, but Aqua gave him nothing in return but a slight nod. 

Marluxia groaned once the senators flew back on their tangent, his weight shifting to one whole side of his body. “We are done here.” he spat, joining his lawyer’s side. His hands began to gather papers and folders that were piled on the table. Without even looking at his movement, he was capable of glaring at the nosy and invatious men on committee. It amazed Aqua how tranquil he was, his emotions overflowed, but he could focus on saving face _and_ packing to leave. If Aqua was ever in a bad mood, she could only achieve one or two of those mentally draining tasks. 

The leader of the committee snarled, standing from his seat. “This isn’t over Winston! We will be taking a leave from this court until all is resolved with the persecution. Court is dismissed!” he said quite bitterly, slamming the gavel against cherry wood of the longtable. The lawmakers by day began to take their things, tossing it under their arms and stomping away. Some acted completely causal. While others were upset that they wasted the time pent up there. 

Marluxia and Larxene fled from the room almost immediately, their lawyer passing a card with their information Lea’s way. Aqua stood in the middle of the court dumbfounded. Her heart started pounding, and she twisted to first make eye contact with her assassin in the back and then her brother-in-law. Sweat ran down her forehead in fear. It was now or never, she thought, starting for the exit of the courtroom. 

Xemnas and his siblings followed behind Aqua first. The woman’s heart turned to ice, surrounded by pestering reporters as she left the building. Cameras continued their assault, and Aqua was certain that she saw the hired assassin run past to the doors while the flashes popped. Security guards for the capitol building forced the media away from Aqua’s family. The corridor then became hauntingly silent, almost like Aqua had already murdered a man and she was visibly to blame. Her nervousness progressed. 

It skyrocketed as Xemnas met her side. It reached new heights as the doors grew closer. It completely overwhelmed and physically overtook her as they made one step outside. Aqua glanced over her shoulder, through the threshold, and made note that Kairi, Ventus, Lea and Isa were burdened by the capitol staff and a few lawmakers that were on the investigations committee. Now she was all alone with her brother-in-law. Time started to slow. This was her punishment, she had to witness every gorey and horrific detail of this murder. 

Xemnas and Aqua made their way down a few steps. They stole a few looks at each other on the way, which left Aqua to question her relationship with that man. He watched her with such pure sincerity! She grabbed at her blouse, physically unbuttoning the portion over her heart to ravenously scratch and attempt to dig the organ out. The pain was agonizing. For the very first time, it surged from her heart and into other parts of her body. She should have just been branded with a blazing iron instead. It might've hurt less. 

More steps went by, and then, from the left group of reporters and rolling television crews came Aqua’s assassin. His eyes were wide, his hands gathered right at his front. He was focused. A gun was in his grasp. Aqua watched in the slowest speed as he rose his hands, closing one eye to make use of his dominant one. She pushed against the heavy atmosphere and moved in front of Xemnas. She made a mistake. Aqua didn’t want to kill him anymore. She couldn’t fathom living with this kind of guilt. 

The first shot was fired. Xemnas instinctively found the source of the horrible sound, extending his arm out to move Aqua back. He made a complete 180 of her previous action. By use of one hand, he pulled her away from harm, and with the other he shielded her from any oncoming offense. Her wrist whipped her back, and he took his last two steps to keep her safe. In that final second, Xemnas turned his head to gaze one last time at her. 

“Aqua, I l--”

The shot rang out. Aqua’s eyes widened, her heart shattering, the world whipping her back into a normal flow of time and space. The bullet, that was fired from less than five feet away, horrifically found it’s landing inside Xemnas’ skull. The noise… oh dear fucking god, the _noise_. His blood, bones, and _brains_ flew out from the back of his head. Some even splattered against Aqua’s face and collar. And as the dead weight of his body fell back onto her, she couldn’t breathe. The heavy weight of his corpse practically threw her against the hard stone steps. Aqua couldn’t tell if she was about to cry, vomit, or have another heart attack.

Her entire body stopped functioning for a few seconds. Xemnas was dead. His body, with little of a head left, laid crumpled over hers. Aqua’s eyes trailed in a terrified movement to see his face, and when she laid eyes upon what she wanted, her emotions tore her from reality. She remembers screaming. A scream rolled from her throat that was so terrifying, so high pitched, and so violent, that she swore the world became silent from it. Her voice continued to emit a shaky cry. Tears drowned her eyes and overflowed her face. Aqua reached out to caress his cold and disfigured visage, his blood stained her clean hands, and the vile bullet hole gaped at his right temple. His eyes were wide open. The right iris bled into the sclera, a star fracture visible in the lens from shrapnel. In the moment, she had a visceral intent to repair what she had done. She had to fix this mess. But there was no way in HELL that she could ever bring him back to life.

Aqua trembled in horror. Her hands tried to wipe the problems away, she tried to heal him back to life. But she couldn't. She touched parts of his body that nobody could ever touch. The stab of tiny bone fragments against her palm, the squish and sliminess of his brains and blood mixing together, and the softness of his hair -- these three combinations worsened her nausea and pain. Hysteria seeped into her mind, and very soon, she howled and mourned. Tears dropped from her cheeks. The man who she hired for this job, startled by her reaction, ran away as far as he could. It wasn’t very long before he was shot and killed too. People reporting in the crowds surrounding her fell deathly silent. All left was Aqua’s inhuman wailing. The steps behind her rumbled, and soon Ventus and Kairi must’ve been there. Hands wrapped around Aqua’s arms in an attempt to pull her away from her corpse and move her to safety. She combated against the force, falling down further against her cardinal sin. Her head laid upon the corpse, putrid smells overwhelming her senses. She never cried this hard. 

“No! Don’t take me away from him! NO!” she yelped between frantic breaths. However, the person didn’t listen. They ripped her hands away from her dead brother-in-law, dragging Aqua back. 

Her hands were saturated in blood. She was _covered_ in his blood. Aqua kept crying. She just couldn’t help herself. Her eyes were locked on his body, and the farther up the stairs she was hauled, she witnessed Kairi kneeling beside her dead brother, resting a hand over his breathless chest. Kairi peeled off her suit jacket, laying it over his mutilated face. Aqua resisted against the person pulling her away, her teeth firmly clamped together as she continued to cry. Her heels dragged against the ground.

Cameras started to flash, reporters called out, and the television crews began their live coverage of the event again. Aqua sniffled, hanging her head. She turned Xemnas’ death into a media frenzy. She ruined the sanctity of his death, because she was furious from his betrayal. The anguish that she felt in her heart in those moments was _worse_ than any betrayal. 

\-----

Aqua locked herself away in her study. For _days_ , she did nothing but stare at the walls, the floor, or to the yard outside the window. Terra mourned everyday, but he would never around little Lorelei. Lorelei brought the light back into his life. The latter could say the same about Aqua, but that woman was too ridden with guilt to happily be around her husband or child for longer than an hour. Somehow, even in their deep depressions, Terra and Aqua’s marriage didn’t crumble. 

The newspapers reported on the trial and Xemnas’ murder for weeks. There was a constant reminder of what Aqua had done. She couldn’t repress or escape it. Lea kept his distance from Aqua. They didn’t speak much, little at all most days, and it was surprising how Lea didn’t suspect Aqua for the murder. He called everything else before then and warned her. Even if he didn’t accuse her of it, Aqua knew people must’ve thought it. Her reaction at the scene truly threw people for a loop. 

Aqua stared out the window in the study, watching Lorelei play with Roxas and Xion in the lawn. Occasionally, her niece or nephew would look up and see her standing there, but they casually returned to their games. They knew something was going on. They were always quite brilliant. Aqua suddenly recalled that terrible night where Roxas spat out a violent response to her, and there she knew that the young boy, a year younger then, was aware of what her family did to make money. Roxas might be a fine addition to the business later, Xion too, but for now it wasn’t to be discussed. 

Lorelei had kicked the ball far out into the yard, and her more athletically-inclined cousins ran out to get it. The little girl brushed dirt from her skirt and waved to a guardsman across the driveway. Slowly, like a horrible predator, the tiniest Meister turned around, patting her feet in a circle to look up at her mother. Lorelei didn’t smile. The little one's gaze was stone cold. It was the look of a murderer. Aqua felt threatened, stumbling back from the window and curtains. She remembered the same expression on the assassin guilty of murdering Xemnas.

Aqua hid her face in her hands. Her heart crumbled and blew away like dust in the wind with each breath she took. Aqua fell back into her chair, dryly sobbing. There were no more tears left in her heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and I hope to see you in the next chapter! <3


	10. An Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Because this all must come to an end.

_Two Months Later_

Summer heat blasted into the study. Fans were placed around, carrying stuffy air around. The extreme heat in this July was reminiscent of days in California, and Aqua became more and more longing for those days. She stood amidst boxes and packing material. Most of the books were set away for the move, even though they weren’t going to be leaving until another month. 

Aqua shuffled over to the sofa against the wall, carefully sitting down. Her hand settled over her stomach. Another reason for their move back to California was to raise another child. Aqua decided with Terra that they were ready for a second child, but neither of them admitted to using this as an excuse to forget Xemnas’ death. Two months into her pregnancy, and she began to already show. 

She worried about the future for her child. What kind of world would she be bringing this child into? Would she and Terra ever consider to pass their leadership onto this child once they become too old? The questions whirling in her brain mixed with the heat and made her lightheaded. Aqua also became concerned about Lorelei. The little girl had seen so much and experienced so much in just a year, and Aqua could never (and Terra WOULD never) put Lorelei in charge of a terrible thing. 

The door of the study opened, and like magic, Lorelei came running in. She smiled and laughed, hopping onto the sofa beside her mother. Aqua gently sat up and wrapped her arms around her daughter. She planted a kiss on her head, listening to the never-ending but curious questions from her Lorelei. 

Terra appeared in the threshold, holding the door with one hand. He smiled at Aqua. “You ready to go? Lorli is dying to get some ice cream from the fair,” he said, chuckling. “Isn’t that right Lorelei?” He walked over and knelt down before the two leading ladies in his life. 

Lorelei nodded vigorously laughing. “How’d you know so well daddy!” 

Aqua sat quietly, feeling depressed from all of the happiness surrounding her. Terra brushed hair away from her eyes and pulled her from her daze. Good things enveloped the bad, and there was nothing more that Aqua wanted. Her family was still growing and her family still supported and loved her. Soon they would be heading back to California, where she would raise her new child and Lorelei together with Terra. Lea and Isa would still be there and hopefully Riku and Sora could come home too.

The future might’ve scared her, but it was looking a whole lot brighter than before. 

**_End of Part 2_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HERE WE ARE LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!!! we've made it through the storm! a whole seven months of this beast. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and I hope to see you in the next adventure! <3


End file.
